Tag Force Abridged
by Hiyuusha
Summary: In 2009, the game Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Tag Force 4 was released. Many years later, a story based on the game was created. This... is not that story.
1. Chapter 1

In 2009, the game _Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Tag Force 4_ was released.

Many years later, a story based on the game was created.

But the story could not live without the game. And the game could not breathe without a gamer.

When "he" failed, lost in the sea of his creation, all hell broke loose... and the plot, with its data corrupted, had no choice...

But to restart.

* * *

 _ **Chapter One - Fanning the Flames**_

* * *

"Nightmares again?" The wonderful blonde-haired woman that was Alexis asked, frowning on the monitor displayed in the room. "Jaden was right. You really _are_ letting this change get to you. It's not too late, you know. If you want, I can still make the call to let you join me here in the States."

"No," Konami - our crimson-clad protagonist - replied. "It's not that I don't want to see you Alexis, but you've got your own life to live. You all do. I can't, _won't_... hold you back. I'm done being a burden. Besides," he added with a smile. "Who knows what Chazz would say if he knew I was spending time with you?"

"He'd say that it's a good thing he doesn't listen to senseless rumors, that's what!" Chazz's voice barked through the speakers as he entered the chatroom. "There's no way you two are hanging out. You're in different countries!"

Alexis exhaled slowly. As always, dealing with the Princeton heir was an exhausting task. "That's what we were just talking about, Chazz. Konami's still been having those strange dreams of his. I was hoping he'd fly over to the States so we could deal with them together."

"What?! No way! Red Hat's not going anywhere unless I can come too!" Chazz shouted, prompting both Alexis and Konami to wince in response.

"Jeez, dial it back a little, would ya? There's no need to be concerned." Konami said. "I already told Alexis that I don't want to be a burden. Besides, I'm pretty sure that somehow, we've discussed this before."

Chazz snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. Admit it. You're just too much of a slacker to bother buying a ticket, aren't you? You haven't changed at all since graduation... it's no wonder you didn't make it in the Pro Leagues."

"You know Chazz, that might've actually stung a little if you did anything other than dance around in an Ojama Yellow costume when _you're_ up on stage." Konami replied. "Tell me, are you still 'Chazzin' it up?"

"That's enough you two!" Alexis hissed, silencing the two before they could really get going. "You shouldn't fight all the time, it's unbecoming."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Chazz drawled. "I only got on to see if any of you've spoken to Jaden recently anyway. That slacker still hasn't paid me back for booking him a flight to the Himalayas a few weeks ago!"

Konami rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you know how he is. He'll probably get back to you. You know, in another year or two."

A cough from Alexis broke their thoughts. "Erm, actually guys... Jaden isn't in the Himalayas. He's here. With me. In the States."

There was a moment of silence on Chazz's side. Konami took that moment to brace himself.

"SAY WHAT?!" Chazz roared a second later, shaking the very screen with the sound of his voice.

"He wanted to stop by and see how I was doing," Alexis shrugged. "Who was I to say no? Besides, I wanted to see how much stronger he's gotten."

"Knowing him, he's in a whole 'nother league than before." Konami sighed, ignoring the muttering coming through Chazz's mic. "Anyway, as much as I'd like to sit here and keep talking with you guys, I should really get going. I still have a lot to do today, and I'm not too sure, but I think the plot is calling. Later."

Alexis blinked in surprise at the sudden dismissal. She made as if to say something urgent into the cam but before she could speak-

Konami disconnected.

"Now then," he said, closing his laptop while rising from his chair. "How should we begin?"

Where else, but Downtown?

The area was a haven for the poor and less fortunate, for it was there and there alone that they were not judged for their status. Only the strength of their deck mattered, and it was for that very reason that Konami preferred it to the cold and calculating surroundings of Tops.

He'd toured the area often following his initial arrival to the city; so much so that he'd grown accustomed to the bustling crowds and overeager enthusiasts looking to make some Depii. Yes, the streets of downtown were close to becoming a second home for the young Duelist, and not without good reason.

Konami ceased his movements, and turned his head down a nearby alley just as a booming explosion echoed through the streets.

"Another day, another Duel." he said, moving toward the scene.

It was a common occurrence. Even with Sector Security's ban on unauthorized Duels, there was nothing like a good old game of _Duel Monsters_ to unite the people of New Domino. _Duel Monsters_.

Of course, that wasn't to say that card games fixed everything...

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Yusei Fudo beats Jack Atlas in the local Fortune Cup! Daily Duel here! Catch the Daily Duel!"

"Oh, shut up girl. That was weeks ago! Hurry up and tell us something we don't know!"

With mad and often frustrated growls, many impatient passersby brushed past the woman, knocking her to the ground on their way to the local Duels. Konami watched it happen with a weary, if not decisive gaze. Really, some people were just beyond help.

That didn't mean it was nice to leave them hanging.

"Carly," Konami greeted, offering the young woman a helping hand. "Still selling papers, I see."

"Trying," the girl corrected, taking Konami's hand so he could pull her back to her feet. She sighed. "I don't know why my boss even bothers. He has to know that no one bothers buying newspapers anymore! Not when they have the website and television channels just waiting to be pulled up on their PDAs!"

As you might have guessed, Carly was a reporter for New Domino City's main news station, the Daily Duel. Konami had met her during his first day in New Domino; back when he'd suffered an encounter with the dreaded 'Black Rose Witch.'

The two of them hit it off easily enough, what with both of them denounced by the crimson-haired witch and all. Konami had been laid into for picking up cards, and Carly? Well, the Arcadia Movement never did care for nosy people. After the Witch blew them off they'd struck up and easy friendship, but the lack of a story eventually did Carly in. From what Konami could tell, she'd been demoted to full-time newspaper duty - something he wouldn't wish on even his worst enemy.

Lookin' at you, Kojima.

"Well," he said finally, realizing Carly was waiting for a response, "keep hanging in there, okay? It might not seem like it, but this crap post you're on has some upsides." Carly gave Konami a blank stare at that, and Konami couldn't help it, he laughed. "No, I'm serious. I mean, think about it. You're on the street all day, every day. Where better to find a story to get you back in your boss's good graces, eh?"

Carly frowned. "I wouldn't have to get into his good graces if I hadn't fudged the Arcadia Movement interview!"

"There was nothing you could do," Konami told her. "So stop beating yourself up about it and focus on something new. No rhyme intended."

Another explosion rocked the streets, and Konami took that as his cue.

"Take these Duels, for instance." he said, "There's plenty of them going on throughout the city right now. Why don't you focus on some of the up-and-coming talent? I'm sure at least _one_ of these street Duelists is looking to make it big."

"Interviewing people isn't as easy as you seem to think," Carly retorted. "But I guess it's worth a shot. What'd you have in mind?"

Konami raised his brow, even as another eruption roared through the downtown area.

"Oh, I don't know," he drawled. "Personally, I was hoping that you'd think the giant explosions everyone seems keen on running towards would look promising. But, I guess if that doesn't interest you-"

"Oh, it does!" Carly interrupted, pushing up her curly-eyed glasses as she spoke. "After all, the first rule of scooping is that explosions are bad news. And bad news... is _good_!"

With those words in mind, she took off toward the recurring blasts, eager to find herself a scoop worth telling. Konami rolled his eyes after her, and while part of him wanted to leave things be, his greater half decided to follow. After all, despite what he'd told Alexis and Chazz...

There wasn't a single damn thing he was supposed to do that day.

Or maybe there was. He didn't have a very good memory. But something interesting was bound to happen, right?

You certainly wouldn't be reading this otherwise.

"'Scuse me! Pardon me! Reporter coming through! _Move it_!"

It was surprising, Konami thought, watching Carly work her way through the crowd. He hadn't expected her to get very far before asking for his help, but apparently her earlier failures had taught her much. She was downright vicious in her assaults. Konami had no doubt that many a toe were injured thanks to her violent stomping. Still, their goal was ultimately to reach the center, not spare the feelings of those who'd pushed her down onto the cold, hard curb just minutes prior.

In fact, after thinking about it, Konami figured that the sore toes would do the scumbags good. Maybe it'd teach them a little thing about manners.

He doubted it, but hey, it was worth a shot.

" _Ow!_ " someone hissed after a particular nasty boot crush.

That one was Konami's fault.

Not long after, they'd reached their destination. The center of the crowd was brutal and action-packed, and why wouldn't it be? There was a Duel taking place.

Two young men of similar stature were going at it with everything they had. Their Life Points had been beaten and bruised, and from the looks of things, the Duel itself had dragged on for quite some time. There were few monsters or cards on the field... Konami realized that the Duel was coming to a head.

"This is it," one of the young men hissed; Konami noted his sand-colored hair. _Sandy_ , he thought, even as the man continued his move. "the final assault! _Gaia Plate_ , make my dream a reality! Direct attack!"

A colossal giant borne of stone howled between the young men, and it charged recklessly toward Sandy's dark-haired opponent. At the same time, Konami winced as he watched the face-down card on the dark-haired man's side of the field begin to rise.

"Ooh," he muttered. "Bad move."

"You fool!" the dark-haired man shouted. "You've made your last mistake! I activate my face-down card, _Magic Cylinder!_ "

"Say what?!" Sandy gasped.

Needless to say at this point, it went like you thought it did.

A boom and a burst later, the Duel was over. Konami thought it had been an adequate ending, but Carly was less entertained.

"What kind of idiot dives head-first into a face-down?!" she asked twenty minutes later, throwing her hands about wildly as Konami accompanied her back to the plaza. "Even I know better than to do that, and I _suck_ at _Duel Monsters_!"

"It's too bad," agreed Konami. "I really thought you might've been able to interview one of them, too..."

"Not if they have lame skills like that, I won't." Carly replied. "If it's gonna be scoop-worthy material, then they at least need to be Jack's level. Or Yusei's. I hear he's pretty good too."

"Well, he did beat Jack at the Fortune Cup-" Konami tried to say, only for Carly to cut him off before he could finish.

"I don't need to be reminded about that," she bemoaned. "I've been saying it hundreds of times for the past thirty six hours, remember?"

Konami thought thirty six hours was a bit of an overstatement, but he supposed that if he'd been the one stuck on street corners selling newspapers no one wanted, he'd be a little 'off' too. "Well," he told her, "the good news is, even with this Duel being a bust, there are still plenty of other Duels to look for."

It was true. The area was still packed with people, and it was only a matter of time until they came across a Duel truly worth seeing. Until then, they'd just have to wing it. Fortunately, the crowd's like-minded mentality meant that they could go with the flow. They proceeded to follow the larger groups for some time, watching as all manner of up-and-coming street Duelists paired off to stare at each other dramatically. Some of the Duels were interesting - Konami himself had made note of one involving the use of Royal Library and Exodia - but not once did Carly find someone worth interviewing.

It was starting to get a bit old, really.

"It's not that hard," Konami groaned several hours later, wondering why he'd put up with the girl for so long. "All you have to do is walk up to someone and ask if they wanna be famous. That's it. That's literally the only thing you have to do."

"I know, I know! It's just... there's supposed to be a feeling, you know?" Carly asked. "Deep in my gut. It's supposed to tell me whether what I'm doing is right or wrong; if this scoop I'm chasing is worth the effort or not! I'm not getting that feeling, Konami. I don't know if there's something wrong with me, or if I just haven't found the 'one' yet, but as a super-scoopy journalist I can't just drag just anyone off the street! They need to be someone unique. They need to have something incredible. They need to do something-"

There was a sudden detonation behind her, and both she and Konami turned to watch as numerous individuals started to flee the scene.

"Explosive?" Konami tried, only to receive a roll of the eyes for the effort before rushing to see what had caused the commotion.

It certainly wasn't anything he'd been expecting, that was for sure.

Unlike the other street Duels, the damage caused by the whatever created this had yet to fade. The streets were alight with fire and smoke, and in the midst of it all, a small, red-haired girl stood in the center, smiling.

Think Children of the Corn, but with more fire.

 _Way_ more fire.

"Okay," Carly said slowly, wincing away from the flames after waving her hand near one. "Maybe scooping wasn't such a good idea after all! I mean, this stuff feels hot! Like, _hot_ hot!"

"I know, right?" Konami asked. "It's almost like it's a FIRE or something!"

Carly scowled. "You know what I mean! It's supposed to be a hologram. Fake! Do... Do you think that maybe they're a Psychic Duelist? The person responsible for this, I mean."

"Maybe," Konami said slowly. "As much as I hate to admit it, a Psychic would be capable of doing this. But personally, I think we have a bigger problem on our hands. That is to say, the fact that I feel like we've done this before."

"You feel it too?" the girl in the fire asked him suddenly, prompting Carly to flinch in surprise. "Then it seems the god was right. There _is_ a connection between those cleansed by flame." she laid a hand over her chest, and quoted some insignificant passage someone made up. " _And so the many shall be cast into the fire, and the believers cleansed by the might of the searing flames..._ You... _do_ believe, don't you?"

Carly seemed rather offput by the girl's question, so Konami decided to take point.

"Depends," he said.

The girl tilted her head curiously. "Depends?" she asked. "On what?"

"On what you're asking if we believe in." Konami replied. "Because I mean, if you're asking if we believe we can fly that's one thing, but if you're asking if we believe in... say, Kanye West's presidental campaign, that's another." He gasped. "Discussing real-life celebrity politics in a story based on a videogame? _No way!_ "

"Gods!" the girl shouted, bringing his mind back to the problem at hand. "Do you believe in gods?"

Konami felt his lips twitch. Of course, it would be that question, wouldn't it? Well, as a former student of Duel Academy, there was only one thing he could say to that.

"Gods?" he repeated, stepping in front of Carly to join the girl in the center of chaos. "You mean 'God', right? That is to say, Slacking Slifer, the patron Lord of losers like me."

" _Blasphemy!_ " the girl hissed. "You'd dare befoul the Lord of Searing Flames with talk of such nonsense?!"

Konami blinked in surprise. "Uh, Lord of Searing what now?"

The flames surrounding them seemed to grow in size and intensity, and Carly called out as she was suddenly blocked out.

"H-Hey, Konami!" she squealed.

"Carly...?" he wondered, turning his head back to regard the girl. His vision was met by a wall of flame.

"... _ish you_..." the girl whispered softly. Konami's head swiveled back around to face her, and he raised a brow curiously at her words. " _I'll punish you, you blithering fool!_ "

"You know, if you were anything other than a small child, I might've actually been scared by that." Konami admitted. "As it is, I don't know what to be more surprised by. The fact that I _still_ feel like we've done this before, or your _extraordinary_ vocabulary."

The girl's eyes narrowed, and the mechanical device attached to her forearm whirred to life. Konami stared at it and sighed. "Alright," he said. "Déjà vu it is."

Enough dawdling. It was time to get to work.

" **DUEL!** "

The two shouted as one, drawing five cards from their respective decks even as the flames roared around them. Outside the circle, Carly blinked rapidly, wondering if she really heard what she did.

"H-Hey, hold on a moment! Don't tell me you two are _Dueling_ in there?!"

"Ladies first," Konami said, ignoring Carly's question in favor of acknowledging the opponent before him. An opponent whose name he still didn't know.

It was Alice.

"I'd thank you, but the Lord didn't teach me to be polite!" Alice replied, and she drew a sixth card from her deck, starting the Duel once and for all.

 **TURN ONE - ALICE - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"I'll set three cards face-down, and let you go!" she shouted. The decision had been made rapidly, and to be honest, Konami was surprised. The first turn of a Duel often involved the summoning of at least one monster. Just what was Alice playing at?

As he watched her set the three cards she said she would, Konami felt his eyes narrow. He was no fool. His time spent at Duel Academy had taught him many things, especially what it meant the drop titles like "Lord of Searing Flames." The sight of three cards on the field only furthered his paranoia, but there was no way Alice had _that_ card...

Right?

"My move," Konami muttered quickly, unsure of whether or not he wanted to find out. "Draw!"

He retrieved a card from the top of his deck, and added it to his hand.

 **TURN TWO - KONAMI - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

He glanced at his hand for the first time, and gawked. "What the - are you serious? Did I really-" he turned his gaze away from his cards, instead focusing on the small holster attached to his pants. On it, Konami noted the words STARTER emblazoned upon it in large, golden letters. "Slifer _Slacker_! I'm using Starter Deck: Kaiba. And I _don't_ mean Reloaded!"

Alice blinked. "Is... that bad, or something?"

"Are you kidding? Of course it is!" Konami shouted. "Starter Deck: Kaiba was like, one of the first _Yu-Gi-o_... I mean _Duel Monsters'_ decks there is! It's filled with all kinds of old and outdated cards!"

"Oh wow, so in other words, it's like... really, really, _really_ bad, huh?" She asked with a giggle. "Sucks for you! But at least this means I'll have an easy win!"

"Don't be so sure," Konami replied. "This just makes things more interesting! After all, if I can beat your deck with something like _this_ , then Chazz'll have to take back what he said about me sucking in the Pro Leagues!"

"Who?"

"I'm starting! And unlike you, I think I'll do so by actually summoning something!" Konami said, ignoring Alice's question. "I call the Level Four Beast-Warrior, _Battle Ox_ to the field in Attack Position!"

A beastly howl echoed through the flame circle as Konami placed the card on his Duel Disk. Seconds passed, and suddenly a dark beast with the shape of a man rose from the ground, wielding a large, sharpened axe filled with chinks and scars.

 _Battle Ox - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)_

"Battle Ox?" Alice asked, trying its name on her lips. "You really weren't kidding! That's a super old card!"

"It might be old, but it's still got some bite left in it!" Konami replied. "And what better way to show you that... than with a direct attack?!"

The Beast-Warrior howled in agreement as it leapt forward, but unlike Konami, it hadn't been expecting to be stopped before its blow could land. Halfway into its assault, Battle Ox found itself staring down a strange, zombie-like dragon, complete with glowing red eyes.

"Surprised?" Alice asked, "One of my face-down cards was _Zoma the Spirit_! When I activate it, it summons itself to the field in Defense Position! It only has five-hundred Defense Points, but it'll still stop you from getting at my Life Points directly."

 _Zoma the Spirit - (DARK/Zombie) - LV4 - (1800/500)_

The undead monster hissed, no doubt intending to collaborate Alice's story. Still, its lack of stats did little to worry Konami, who was more than happy to let Battle Ox attack again. Unfortunately, it seemed his opponent had other ideas.

"Of course, don't think that I brought out Zoma without planning to make up the difference between its stats and your Battle Ox's!" Alice continued. "Because I didn't! I also have this - _Fairy Box_!"

Her second face-down swiveled upward to reveal itself, and Konami watched as a large, Whac-a-mole shaped box materialized overhead. Numerous green digletts bounced up and down from the box's many holes, leaving Konami to wonder just what kind of vile effect it had.

Alice explained soon enough.

"With this Fairy Box on the field, our Duel's about to get a lot better!" she said, grinning gleefully even as Konami began to frown. "See, thanks to its effect, every time you declare an attack, I get to flip a coin! That's where things really get interesting, because if I flip and call it right... your monster's Attack Points reduce to zero until the end of the Battle Phase!"

"So in other words, attacking itself becomes a game of chance." Konami mused. "Interesting. It's been a while since I've done any gambling! What do you think, Ox? You game?"

The man-beast growled angrily in reply, making it clear that it wanted a fight. Konami was more than happy to give him one.

"Alright then," he shouted, throwing his hand forward in a bountiful yet dramatic arc, "let's find out how lucky we are! Attack!"

Battle Ox lunged, but before it could dig its axe into the sinister Zoma, time slowed. A large, floating coin materialized as it did, and before anyone could opject, it spun itself high into the air. Both Alice and Konami watched its path, and just as it reached its peak and began its descent back to land, Alice made her choice.

"I call... Heads!"

The coin landed a moment later, and its result was broadcasted so that both could see.

It was, as Alice had guessed, Heads.

Time resumed, and the changes were made clear to all. Battle Ox's howl, once loud and fierce, became fragile and weak. Its angry charge fizzled into a slow crawl, and - taking advantage of that weakness - Zoma struck. With a single bat of its wings it blew the beast back across the field, sending it crashing into the dirt by Konami's side. Konami winced at the scene, knowing that the damage his monster had taken would come straight out of his Life Points.

The only consolation was that since Zoma was in Defense Position, Battle Ox wouldn't be sent to the Grave.

"Good guess," Konami said after a moment, deciding to humor the cocky smirk Alice was shooting him. "But don't forget, the Attack Point decrease doesn't last forever."

It was true. With the Battle Phase over, Battle Ox's power had already returned. If it and the deceitful Zoma were to compete once more, it was clear who would win.

"Hah," Alice rebuked. "You think I care about your monster's Attack Points? I just wanted to show off a few of my Trap Cards before I sent them to the Graveyard!"

"To the Graveyard?" Konami inquired, his Déjà vu returning full force. "Let me guess. Youhave a Sacred Beast sitting in that deck of yours, don't you?!"

Alice's eyes widened in surprise. "You know about it?" she asked with a frown, not having expected that. "How?"

"Let's just say that the Heart of the Cards runs strong in my character," Konami replied. "But we'll get to that later. How did you get your hands on one of the Sacred Beasts? Last I checked they were overseas, locked away in the ruins of Duel Academy!"

"Does it really matter?" Alice replied. "No matter how it got here, it doesn't change the fact that soon _you'll_ be facing it!"

Despite the girl's cruel words, Konami chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "I suppose you're right. The explanation can wait until later. That being said... I think you and I have differing opinions on just how far away "Soon" is. You still have only two face-up Trap Cards after all, and if what I recall about Uria is correct... you need _three_ to call it forth from your hand."

"You're right," agreed Alice. "I do need three face-up Trap cards to summon Uria. But, you've forgotten something! And that's that while I may only have two Traps face-up right now... I do have a third on the field! Rise up, _Embodiment of Apophis_!"

Responding to the girl's cry, the third and final face-down rose upward, allowing a tall naga-looking warrior to take to the field. Armed with both shield and sword, it slithered from the card's hologram, even as the snake rising from its back hissed angrily.

Battle Ox growled back in response.

 _Embodiment of Apophis - (EARTH/Reptile) - LV4 - (1600/1800)_

"Aw man," Konami grunted. "Looks like I should have kept my mouth shut."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," assured Alice, "and even if I didn't have Apophis, you'd still be stuck thanks to my Fairy Box!"

Konami sighed softly, "You may have a point there. With that Box on the field I'll be shut down if I try to attack. At this point it seems that there's nothing I can do... but set a face-down of my own, that is!"

He slid a single card into the back slot of his Duel Disk, prompting its large, hologram form to appear behind Vorse Raider. Alice scowled at the sight of it. "You think it'll will help you?" she asked critically, "You can try to defend yourself all you like. That card won't protect you from Uria's wrath! My Turn... Draw!"

 **TURN THREE - ALICE - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"Fairy Box's effect activates!" Alice declared after taking her next card. "During each Standby Phase it's active, I have to pay five hundred Life Points or send it to the Graveyard. Obviously I don't want to do that, so..." She trailed off, feeling that futher explanation was unnecessary. The recurring beeps indicating a drop in her Life Points was more than enough, and after a few seconds, her Life Points had been reduced to thirty five hundred, tying the game up once more.

"Don't be so sure!" Konami told the plot. "I'm activating my face-down, _Just Desserts!_ This card inflicts five-hundred points of damage for each monster you control Alice, and thanks to your Trap cards, right now you own two." He grinned at the sight of the scowl growing on the younger girl's face. "What's wrong, not having fun anymore? You sure were looking happy earlier, back when you activated that Apophis of yours!"

The Just Desserts Trap card gleamed in delight, and a large red hand burst from its hologram to grab Alice. The girl cried out as the hand's fingers curled around her body, and she let out a pained breath as it crushed her to pieces. Before it could do any lasting damage however, Konami ended the effect, letting Alice fall to all fours and catch her breath.

"Haa...! _Haa_...!" She wheezed, raising her head to glare at him only once she was sure she wasn't dying. "That... was pretty mean!"

"Coming from a child who said she'd punish me for being blasphemous, forgive me if I don't really care." Konami replied. "Now, are you going to stand up and continue your turn, or should I take this opportunity to make a comeback?"

"I'm still going!" Alice shouted quickly, snapping back to her feet faster than thought humanly possible. "And I'm going to make you pay for messing with me like that! And you wanna know why? Go on, ask me!"

Konami sighed. He had a feeling what she was going to say, but it didn't seem as though the Duel would progress otherwise. So, he bit the bullet. "Alright," he said slowly. "Why?"

" _Because I'm summoning Uria right now, you wretched little nincompoop!_ "

"Oh wow," Konami blinked, astonished. "I thought you just might've been a midget but, you really _are_ just eight years old, aren't you?"

" _Rah!_ " Alice howled, slamming the great Sacred Beast down upon her Duel Disk. Her three Trap cards burned to ash, and the circle of fire swirled into a searing hot pillar of destruction that heralded the arrival of their lord.

With a fierce howl, Uria knocked the flames aside, clearing the area of any and all heat. It alone was hot enough for the Duel, and it liked having an audience.

 _Uria, Lord of Searing Flames - (FIRE/Pyro) - LV10 - (3000/0)_

"As you can see, Uria gains a thousand Attack Points for each Continuous Trap card in my Graveyard!" Alice explained, gleeful at having successfully summoned her Sacred Beast. "With three thousand, anything you summon, even a Syncro Monster, will pale in comparison! Face it weakling, this Duel is over!"

"Hah! You serious? The Sacred Beasts might've been cool back in the day," Konami replied, "but faced against modern strategy they're nothing to be worried about. The only problem is that I'm using this old Starter Deck, but in hindsight, this just makes things a little more challenging!"

"Challenging...?" asked Alice. "You're right about that, at least. Because this is one challenge you can't win! Go, Uria! Destroy his Battle Ox with your searing flames!"

The great red serpent howled as flames leapt from every scale it possessed. Once again, the world had been turned into a raging inferno. There was just one difference. Where before the flames were passive, and unmoving... this time they had a clear and present target.

Battle Ox.

With a pained howl, the man-beast was consumed by the flames. Konami knew it must have been painful, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel happy that it was his monster taking the damage instead of him.

Either way, his Life Points were feeling the burn.

"I'll set one card and end my Turn." Alice said, and Konami nodded in reply.

"My move then," he said, reaching for a card from his deck. "Draw!"

 **TURN FOUR - KONAMI - FIVE CARDS IN HAND - 2200 LP**

'And so, the Starter Deck shows its flaws,' Konami thought while looking at his hand. 'Nothing I can do with these. Well, there are a few things... Gyakutenno Megami _is_ pretty hot after all. Wait, bad Konami bad! Those are M-rated thoughts, and this is E for Everyone! Or was it T for Teen?'

"I'll set a monster in Defense Position, set another card face-down, and end my Turn." Konami said finally, earning a smile from the diabolical Alice.

"Aww, are you feeling the heat?" she asked with a pout. "Don't worry, you won't be feeling much of anything soon enough! Draw!"

Ripping a card from the top of her deck, Alice began her next move.

 **TURN FIVE - ALICE - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 2500 LP**

"Uria's special effect activates!" she shouted first, prompting Konami to curse in distaste. "Once per Turn, I can have it burn away a single Spell or Trap card you control! But that's not even the best part, because when I use this effect, you can't even activate any cards to try and stop it!"

"I'd forgotten about that...!" Konami admitted with a wince. "Still, at least I'm being reminded when I placed something useless... like _De-Spell_!"

The Spell-removing Spell card shone as Uria burnt a path right through it, prompting Alice to glare at Konami angrily. "What was that?! You should have known by now that I wouldn't even have any Spell cards for you to deal with!"

"I did," Konami said. "And that's exactly why I placed it. Since I knew it wouldn't do me any good in my hand, I figured I could at least try and bluff you. Of course, I hadn't accounted for Uria's special ability..."

"And you didn't account for my rage, either!" Alice shouted. "Go, Uria! Destroy his face-down monster!"

Konami's eyes gleamed. "Now _that's_ what I was waiting for!" he howled as Uria unleashed its attack. "After all, the best thing about the old Starter Decks... is that their monsters have pretty powerful Flip Effects!"

"What?!" Alice gasped, watching as the face-down card Uria attacked leaned upward to reveal...

 _Hane-Hane_.

"You've activated my monster's ability," Konami explained. "When Hane-Hane is flipped upward, I can select one monster on the field and return it to its owner's hand! That means that your almighty Uria... is going back to square one!"

"Not so fast!" Alice countered. "I have a Trap! _Divine Wrath_! It'll negate the effect of your Hane-Hane's ability, and send it packing to the Graveyard!"

"Tsk." Konami grunted. "Figures you wouldn't let Uria get beat so easily. But don't think I've given up yet."

"You should," Alice muttered nastily. "It's not like you have any chance of winning. I'll set one card face-down... and end my Turn."

"My move again then," Konami noted. "Draw!"

 **TURN SIX - KONAMI - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 2200 LP**

"I'll begin by showing you that merely controlling the Lord of Searing Flames doesn't make you the Lord of Burns. I'll do this by activating the Spell... _Ookazi_!" Konami shouted. "It lets me inflict eight hundred points of damage to my opponent, and this time, I have a feeling that your face-downs won't help you!"

He was right. Alice did nothing as a bursting explosion rocked her world. Well, that wasn't quite true. She did let out a howl of pain, especially when she realized that crossing her arms and trying to shield herself wouldn't work. She was blown onto her back seconds later, and though she wouldn't admit it, briefly knocked unconscious.

"Guh... Wuh...?"

"You alright?" Konami asked, smirking even as Uria growled dangerously. "Do I need to call mommy and daddy and have them come pick you up?"

"Yes..." Alice whined softly, only to snap her eyes open upon realizing what she'd said. "Wait. No!"

"Looks like playtime's dragging on a bit," Konami said. "So I'll just set another monster face-down and end my Turn."

"Then it's about time I end _you_!" Alice shouted, leaping back to her feet after Konami entered his End Phase. She tore another card from the top of her deck and scowled. "Draw!"

 **TURN SEVEN - ALICE - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 1700 LP**

"I activate my face-down, _Final Attack Orders_!" Alice declared. "Now, any and all face-up monsters on the field will have to be in Attack Position, including those who are flipped face-up during the Battle Phase!"

For the first time, Konami's face grew worried. "Say what?" he asked. "You had a card like that?!"

"It took me a while to draw it, but yeah!" Alice shouted. "Now we'll find out if you can really take the heat... or not! Uria, light up his monster!"

With another great howl, the Sacred Beast sent flames searing across the landscape. At that same moment, the magic of Final Attack Orders made itself known. Traversing across the field into Konami's face-down monster, it forced the creature to stand tall, despite the clear and present danger Uria's flames possessed.

" _Ryu Kishin_ , no!" Konami shouted.

It was too late. The flames smashed into the one thousand Attack Point monster, burning it to ash and taking a majority of Konami's remaining Life Points with it. Alice laughed at the scene, taking extreme and perverse pleasure in the sudden smoke smoldering off Konami's form. It had come as a surprise to him, but not to her. It was only natural that a Duel with the Lord of Searing Flames would end with one being reduced to cinders. It hadn't been so obvious earlier on, but then, neither of them had carried only two hundred Life Points, had they?

"Feeling the burn?" she asked coyly, smiling at the stern frown Konami replied with. "Soon, you'll be nothing but a pile of ash to scatter in the wind! And with my Final Attack Orders on the field, 'Soon' is closer than ever before!"

"Not bad. You've painted me into a corner here." Konami mused finally. "If I leave things be, I'll wind up losing the Duel. On the other hand, destroying your Trap will only increase Uria's power even more! Either way, I'll be in for a beating!"

"So, does this mean that you've finally decided to quit? To give up, and accept the truth of Uria's reign?" Alice asked.

Konami laughed. "Are you kidding? If there's one thing Slackin' Slifer's taught me, it's that you never give up, not even when your Life Points hit zero itself! As long as there's a bone in my body and a card to be drawn, I'll keep on fighting! Just like the _real_ heroes would! Besides, I said it before, didn't I?" he asked, inching his hand toward the top of his deck. "The Heart of the Cards... is strong in my character! _Draw!_ "

He ripped his next card from his deck, ignoring the shining trail of light that came with it.

 **TURN EIGHT - KONAMI - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 200 LP**

 _'Seventeen Hundred Life Points between me and victory. More than that, I face great obstacles. A three thousand Attack Point beatstick with the power to destroy one card in my backrow each turn, and a Trap that stops me from defending myself. There's no choice,_ ' Konami thought. ' _If I am to win, I'll have to do it with the cards I have in my hand now!'_

He glanced to them. Ordinarily, they would be nothing. Useless cards of the past that were vastly out-of-date. At that moment however, they were his lifeline.

He would use them to the best of his ability, and hope for the best.

"I summon _La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp_!" Konami roared finally, slamming his chosen monster down upon his Duel Disk with all the force he could muster. A golden smoke leapt from the field at his behest, and from it, a large green genie with numerous bulging muscles materialzed.

 _La Jinn - (DARK/Fiend) - LV4 - (1800/1000)_

"I'll set two cards face-down... and end my Turn." Konami said.

That was it. He'd done all he could. Everything was up to Alice now. He just hoped she made the right (wrong) decision.

"That's it?" Alice asked. "That's all your deck can muster? An old and easily overpowered genie, and a pair of useless decoys to make me think you have a chance?"

"It'll be enough to beat you... _Alice_." Konami replied.

"We'll see." She said, and she drew the final card of the Duel.

 **TURN NINE - ALICE - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 1700 LP**

"Uria... let's show him just how outclassed he is." Alice muttered. "Burn one of his face-down cards to ash!"

Konami grimaced. The crucial moment was at hand. He tried - and failed - to clear his mind. No matter what happened, he couldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing despair on his face!

The chosen card burned, and the winner was decided.

...

"Uria!" Alice howled. "Attack La Jinn, and claim your victim!"

The Sacred Beast _roared_ , and the world transformed into a volcano. Smoldering heat wafted through the air, and fire had spread anywhere and everywhere, ready to consume any living thing that moved. Uria alone stood tall amongst the flames, clearly displaying his power as 'Lord of Searing Flames.'

Even Carly, forgotten as she was, was left in awe.

Uria gaped its jaws wide, and then, when its mouth could spread no further...

It lunged.

Ash and cinder spilled from its lips as its head rushed down toward Konami and his monster. It was fully prepared to take both in one powerful bite, all for the sake of furthering its own agenda.

Unfortunately, Alice chose wrong.

"You fell for it!" Konami howled with a grin, and in true dramatic fashion he flung his hand upward at the last moment, activating his face-down and slowing time. "I activate... _REVERSE TRAP!_ "

The world was stunned.

You... were not.

"Reverse Trap?!" Alice gasped. "What is that?! I've never even - _what?!_ "

"Reverse Trap is simple." Konami explained, clenching his fist eagerly even as Uria continued to fall. "When it's activated, it reverses all increases and decreases to Attack and Defense Points until the End Phase! Now, forgive me if I'm wrong, but Uria's original Attack Points aren't three thousand, are they?"

At this, Alice's eyes grew wide. She understood, and Konami grinned.

"That's right!" he shouted. "Uria's very own effect _increases_ its Attack Points by a thousand for each Continuous Trap in your Graveyard! With Reverse Trap however, its effect will instead _decrease_ its Attack Points, and you know what that means!"

"No... It can't be!" Alice exclaimed, horrified.

"It is. Your Uria's Attack Points have now fallen... to ZERO!"

Time sped up, but Uria's attack had already begun. It could not stop, _would_ not stop, until it or La Jinn had been defeated. Konami watched it close in, and at the final moment, he turned away.

"I'd say something dramatic... but you'll have heard it before."

La Jinn poked the Sacred Beast, and every flame in the world was snuffed out.

 **KONAMI - 200 LP**

 **ALICE - 0 LP**

"No..." Alice repeated, her body trembling as a pillar of flame began to surround her. "It can't be... Uria was... Noooo!"

With one final cry, the pillar erupted and left, piercing the dark clouds of the night sky but curiously leaving the girl unscathed. She fell to the floor a moment later, leaving her cards to scatter across the scorched earth. Konami approached swiftly, eager to claim his prize from his defeated opponent.

Naturally, however...

"It's gone."

"K-Konami!" Carly shouted, moving to join the boy after realizing it was safe. "You won!"

"Of course I did," he replied, kneeling down as he spoke to check on the unconscious Alice. "A player avatar doesn't lose. They just reset until they get things right."

"You're pretty confident." Carly noted before turning her head to the girl. "Will she be alright?"

"Yeah," Konami confirmed. "She's still breathing, and her eyes aren't dull or anything. She'll sleep for a while, but her soul is safe."

"Soul?! Y-You mean that Sacred Beast could've taken it?!"

Konami nearly rolled his eyes at Carly's naivety. He'd forgotten that Shadow Games had yet to plague the city of New Domino.

At least... not _publicly_.

"Anyway," she continued, ignoring Konami's sudden silence. "That was amazing! Winning with age-old cards like that! So amazing, in fact, that I think I've found my scoop!"

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me." Carly grinned. "Sacred Beasts, Starter Deck: Kaiba... there's no way any decent journalist would pass this up! You need to give me an interview, no, wait! I was here the entire time! I already heard all the dialogue! I just need a title..."

Konami sighed at Carly's enthusiasm.

'Well,' he thought still, leaving Alice to Carly as he walked away, 'whatever she calls it, I'm sure it'll grab _someone's_ attention.'

He had no idea how right he was.

Well, not until the article hit five hours later.

 _FANNING THE FLAMES - GENIE DEFEATS URIA IN DUEL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS_

Deep within the halls of the Arcadia Movement, Sayer slapped the newspaper down onto his desk.

"Well now," he said slowly, intertwining his fingers as he gazed at Carly's work. "It seems our little 'project' was a bust. These new Sacred Beasts lack the power and scope of the original. Still, their strength is something to fear. Defeating one should be well beyond the abilities of any average duelist, wouldn't you say?"

There was no reply, but Sayer still smiled.

"Yes. This... 'Konami' fellow is stronger than he appears. I desire to meet with him. Who knows what two likeminded individuals can do when we come together? Certainly, at the very least I should be able to do to him what I did to you, yes?

Once again, there was silence, but there was something new. From the corner of the room, a young woman stepped forward. She was dressed in victorian-era attire, and long, flowing hair reached down to her waist, free of the psychic restraints she once wore. A porcelain mask was kept taut around her face.

She walked to the foot of Sayer's throne (chair), and then dropped to one knee, as if servicing a king. Sayer smiled at her obedience. He caressed the mask with a soft touch, relishing in the power it had over her; in the power it gave _him_ over her.

"Go to this boy," he whispered, "bring him to me. I will take him, remake him, as I remade you. I will do this, and then... we shall lead the Arcadia Movement, and make this world _ours_."

He removed the mask, and raised the young woman's lips to meet his.

"Yes Divine," breathed Akiza. "I... will not fail."


	2. Chapter 2

"So let me get this straight. You took on Uria."

"Yup."

"With Starter Deck: Kaiba?"

"Mhm."

"And _won_?"

"Right."

"He's lying!" Chazz shouted. "If something like that happened, I'd know about it!"

Aster promptly slapped Carly's article down in front of him. "Looks like you're the one slow on the uptake this time, dude. Everyone else already _does_."

Amongst the chat, everyone shared a laugh at Chazz's expense.

"Well, that just about settles it, doesn't it?" Bastion asked. "Chazz will have to take back what he said about you. If you can take on a monster like that with a Starter Deck, then clearly you have what it takes to survive the Pro Leagues!"

"Bah!" Chazz grunted, waving the words off like a bad memory. "Fine, whatever. It doesn't change anything! You're still a slacker, and I can _still_ beat you with my eyes closed."

"Wanna bet?" Konami asked, setting both hands on the table so he could glare into the facecame. "Maybe I'll mix it up this time. Throw down with a little Starter Deck: Yugi?"

Chazz snorted. "Yeah, whatever you say, _Dimitri_."

Wincing, Konami slumped back into his chair. "Ow... okay, I walked right into that one."

Aster frowned. "What I wanna know is how some innocent schoolgirl got her hands on Uria in the first place! Aren't the three Sacred Beasts supposed to be, like, sealed back at Duel Academy or something?"

"They are," Bastion confirmed gruffly. "I checked with Chancellor Sheppard when I found out. All three of them are right where they're supposed to be!"

"Not to mention, the Uria _I_ faced had a weaker effect than the original." Konami added. "The school's Uria grew stronger with every _Trap_ in the Graveyard. The one I faced needed _Continuous Traps_. Vanished once the Duel was over too..."

"So what," Aster asked. "We're dealing with some half-baked copies floating around?"

Konami chuckled and shook his head. " _We_ aren't dealing with anything. I, on the other hand, have two more Sacred Beast copies to hunt down."

"Wha-? You can't honestly be thinking of going after them alone?" Bastion asked. "You'll get yourself beat!"

"Relax," Konami said, assuring his friends with a wave of his hand. "I'm not going alone. I'm bringing Carly along!"

"Who?" Chazz asked.

"The girl who wrote the article," Aster sighed. "That's all well and good dude, but from what you were telling us, it sounded like this girl couldn't Duel for her life! Are you sure that's someone you want watching your back?"

"Eh, she's a work in progress." Konami admitted, "but I'm pretty hopeful! After all, if I have the power to beat a Sacred Beast with Starter Deck: Kaiba, then surely she's got some cool, dark, ability no one's seen yet either... right?"

The thought came to him unbidden, and it brought a few pals with it. In an instant, images and memories of Carly filled Konami's mind, but it wasn't the Carly he knew. It was a goth Carly; one dressed in the black regalia of something _evil_. Her eyes had also been dyed black, and she gazed upon him with something akin to loathing and pride. How that worked, he didn't know.

"Hey, Konami? Konami!" Bastion's shout brought Konami back to the present, and he shook his head softly in reply.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I had a sudden bout of Vu-Vision. Looks like the Restart came with a few side-effects."

"Right..." Chazz drawled slowly. None of the old academy crew understood Konami when he went off like that. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You're blabbering on even more than usual."

"Oh Chazz," Konami breathed, clasping his hands together as if he were a lovestruck highschooler. "You really _do_ care!"

Chazz scowled. "Never mind. It's clear you're fine!"

"As fine as fine can be on a warm summer day!" Konami replied. "Seriously, it was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so," Aster decided. "But don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it dude. You know any of will come running if you just say the word."

'Yeah, _all_ of you will, and that's precisely why I won't.' Konami thought. His eyes trailed away from the computer, and just happened to land on the clock ticking away in the corner of the room.

It was 9:40.

"Oh _Slifer_ ," Konami cursed, nearly toppling his chair over in surprise as he caught the time. "I'm late! The plot was supposed to begin fifteen minutes ago!"

"The plot?" Bastion asked wryly.

Konami amended his statement while grabbing his red outer layers. "The card shop tournament! The winner's supposed to receive first row seats to the celebrity viewing of 'Atlas Rising!' There's no way I can pass such a chance up!"

He hopped around the room while saying this, trying to pull on his boots.

"Humph, idiot." Chazz said, smiling despite the chaos ensuing in Konami's room. "You could've just asked me for one."

"Shut up Chazz! I know better than to depend on you for something like this. You'd charge me _millions_ of Depii in interest!" Konami shouted. "And speaking of interest, Jaden ever pay you back?"

"Tch, don't even talk to me about that slacker!" Chazz growled. "Not when he's still in the States doing who knows what with Alexis...!"

"Uh huh, and this is the part where I stop caring. See ya." Konami said, pulling on his jacket and logging off the chat.

He glanced in the mirror sparingly and took in his appearance.

Average.

"No time to fix it," he muttered. "I've got Duels to win!"

He opened the door and left his room.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two - Approaching an Atlas**_

* * *

Konami's hand met the counter with a loud crash.

"Whaddaya mean I can't compete?!" he roared, glaring at the small, chubby man behind the counter. "I ran sixty-nine blocks to get here!"

"W-Well, I'm sorry sir, but the tournament's already started! We can't take any late entrants. Not when we're already in the semi-finals."

"Semi-what now?!" Konami asked. "Darn it! You mean I came all this way for nothing?"

"Well," the man behind the counter said. "If it makes you feel any better, we're giving away free monster cards to those who were less fortunate in the earlier rounds. I really shouldn't, but I suppose I could give you one as well."

Konami glanced around the shop and sighed. "Fine," he decided finally, and he held out his hand expectantly. "If I can't compete, at least I'll get a worthwhile card out of all this. Let's see what you got."

The man behind the counter grinned, and then placed a single card face-down into Konami's waiting hand. Konami turned it over slowly, only to flinch back in disgust upon seeing what it was.

"What the - _Thousand-Eyes Idol_? Are you Slifer Slackering me?! This thing is useless!"

"H-Hey now!" the man behind the counter roared back. "I'll have you know that every card we give is useful... in showing our customers their flaws and encouraging them to do better next time!"

"Why you... Forget it! Keep your stupid card! I'm outta here!"

Konami kicked the door open as he turned to leave, and then strode outside into the deadly heat.

"Stupid tournament, stupid cashier, stupid idol!" he muttered, kicking his feet against the pavement as he began his long walk back to the apartment. It figures that the _one_ thing he had to do that day would turn out to be a bust. And the worst part of it was, he couldn't even call Carly to go Sacred Beast hunting instead!

The girl was living up her newfound fame at the Daily Duel, and Konami doubted that he'd hear from her again until she was in need of another scoop.

Some friend she was.

"H-Huh?!" someone gasped, colliding with Konami in what could only be surprise. "My apologies. It seems that I've been having trouble paying attention these days - oh! It's you."

Konami blinked, finally deciding to take in the appearance of his accidental assailant. It was a woman of elegance, dressed in an expensive green dress that came down to her heels. She had long dark hair, and light-blue eyes.

Despite all that, it was only the gem on her forehead that caught Konami's attention.

"Misty," he greeted. "Running late to a rehearsal again?"

"If only it were that simple..." the woman replied sadly. "It's my manager. He's sick."

Like Carly, Konami had encountered Misty on his first night in New Domino. He had crossed paths with her in the hallway outside of his apartment, where she had her way with his face in true fortunetelling fashion.

It was kind of creepy, to be honest.

"That's too bad," Konami apologized, smiling wryly at the twist of fate. "I hope you didn't need him for anything important."

"He's my manager," said Misty. "I need him for _everything_. The timing is rather unfortunate too. He was supposed to assist me in my rehearsal Duel against Jack Atlas today."

"Jack Atlas?" Konami asked. "What's a fortunetelling supermodel doing Dueling against the former King of New Domino City?"

Misty's blinked. "You mean you didn't know? Well, I suppose it has been kept under wraps rather nicely. The truth is... I'm taking on the role of Jack's final obstacle on his road to King. You know, in that new movie of his?"

"New movie? Y-You don't mean... surely not 'Atlas Rising?!'" Konami asked, his eyes widening comically at the thought.

"Yes, that's it!" Misty confirmed. "Of course, with my manager incapacitated I may have to call the whole thing off... It's unfortunate, but I'm sure they'll understand-"

"No!" Konami interrupted, taking Misty's hand before she could finish. "Don't you see? This is your moment! Your chance! You have to take this bull by the horns, and let it take you for a ride!"

"I'm... not sure I understand the analogy," Misty began, "but... it seems like you don't want me to quit?"

"Of course not. 'Atlas Rising' is going to be the greatest Duel movie since 'Kaibaman!' If you have the chance to participate in something like that, you can't pass it up!" Konami repeated. 'Not to mention, if Misty gets the part, she might be willing to part with some tickets to the private-showing!'

"Hmm..." Misty mused. "Well, I suppose this part _would_ look good on my resume. And my manager wouldn't want to be the reason I didn't get a part... Very well. I'll do as you say. But... I'll need your help."

"Anything." Konami said, clenching his fist eagerly.

"As I was saying, my manager was supposed to assist me in a Tag Duel rehearsal against Jack." Misty explained. "It's supposed to be a Tag Duel you see, but since my manager is incapactiated, I was hoping that you..."

"...would step in for him?" Konami asked.

Misty blushed. "Well, actually I was going to suggest that you'd find someone else to do so, but if you think you're up for the part-"

Konami grinned and shot Misty a thumbs up. "Of course I am! Don't you know who you're talking to?"

"Uh... you're Konami, aren't you? Oh no, don't tell me I've been talking to a stranger this whole time?" Misty worried.

"No, no... I'm Konami!" he hastily explained, frowning at Misty's supposed naivety. "But more than that, I'm a Duelist, and that means that I never back down from a challenge!"

'Especially when said challenge might land me some tickets!'

Misty gently clasped her hands together and smiled. "Wonderful. In that case, we should get going. The Duel is supposed to be in an hour after all. We won't have any time to waste if we're to arrive on time!"

Konami winced. An hour? It took him two just to walk to the store from his apartment! He wouldn't have time to build a deck worthy of facing the King...

Well, at least he had Misty. Between the two of them, something good was bound to happen, right?

...Right?

When they arrived at the site forty five minutes later, it quickly became clear that that was not the case.

"WHERE ARE MY OPPONENTS?! They should have been here by now!" a blonde figure roared as he stood in the center of the stadium. Beside him, a blue-haired woman treaded lightly.

"Mr. Atlas, please calm down." she said, "I'm certain that they'll be here soon. In the meantime, let us focus on preparing our decks-"

"You think I haven't already done that?" Jack asked curiously. "Just who do you think you're talking to? I'm Jack Atlas, my deck is always ready for a Duel!"

"I didn't mean anything by it," the blue-haired woman replied. "I was just trying to help."

Jack scowled. "In that case, why don't you find out what's taking our opponents so long? It's not like I have much free time! We have a busy schedule to keep, and they're wasting my time!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Misty apologized, approaching the pair alongside Konami. "My manager got sick, so I had to find a replacement."

"Humph, Misty. I should have known it was you." Jack grumbled. "If you're going to run late, at least have the decency to send us a message to let us know!"

"My apologies..."

"Hey, calm down, wouldja? We're here now, aren't we?" Konami asked in her stead, "Stop badgering her and let's get to the point."

If anything, Konami's words only seemed to incense Jack further.

"And just who is he supposed to be?" he asked.

"This is Konami, the Duelist who will be acting as my partner for the day." Misty explained.

The blue-haired woman blinked. "Your partner? _Him?_ But I thought this was supposed to be a manager/actor Duel?"

"It's unfortunate, but my manager came down with an illness." explained Misty. "I was actually on my way to call this rehearsal off when I ran into Konami here. He agreed to stand in for my manager today. It's a shame he can't be here... but I know this is what he would have wanted."

"I see," the blue-haired woman sighed. "Well, as long as he knows how to Duel I suppose it'll be fine..."

" _He's_ right here, you know." Konami grunted. "And for your information, I can Duel. It's not like I spent my three games at Duel Academy learning how to twiddle my thumbs, after all. I'm skilled with a deck. I just hope the same can be said for you."

The blue-haired woman opened her mouth to reply, but Jack cut her off.

"That's enough, Mina! We've wasted enough time as it is. You two, are your decks ready? I don't want any mistakes when we run through this scenario!"

"Don't worry," Misty replied. "We're all skilled Duelists here."

"Erm, actually..." Konami winced, glancing at the cards in his hand.

Misty glanced to him curiously, "Is something the matter?"

There was, actually. Konami knew his deck wasn't up for a Duel against Jack Atlas... but upon looking at it, he'd realized that the situation was far worse than that. 'Darn it,' he thought, 'these cards are the same ones I used to beat Uria! Did I not swap out the Decks like I thought? Oh no, I didn't! I went straight to bed once I got back home last night! I didn't have the chance to! Guh...! Hate to say it, but it looks like Chazz is right. I really am slacking!'

"Konami?" Misty repeated worriedly.

"It's nothing," Konami said, deciding to hide his frustration behind a weary smile. Jack was angry enough as it was. If he told them that he'd accidentally brought the wrong cards... well, any chance of getting tickets to the private show would fly out the window! "I'm ready to throw down! Are you?"

"But of course," Jack grinned, his anger ebbing now that the Duel was about to get underway.

"Then it's settled. Let the filming begin!" Konami shouted, and somewhere, some _how_ , the cameras started rolling.

"Now," Misty said blandly, as if reading off a script. "Let's try an actual Tag Duel."

"Watch closely viewers," Jack said then with a charming smile. "My assistant Mina and I will show you how it's done!"

Misty smiled, "Let's go, Konami."

 **"DUEL!"**

The four Duelists activated their Duel Disks at the same time, and stared at their opponents with remarkable poker faces. The world however, had changed. Once colorful and vibrant, it had become cold and greyscale, an effect of the cameras being used to give off the impression of an age-old documentary.

"You've done well to get this far, Jack Atlas." Misty said in true rival-like fashion. "But your rise to the top ends here. My partner and I will be the ones to take the throne. You have no chance. It's my Turn. Draw!"

 **TURN ONE - MISTY - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"I'll begin by activating _Terraforming!_ " Misty said, revealing the green card in her hand before sending it to the Graveyard. "It's ability allows me to add one field Spell from my deck to my hand. In this case, I think I'll go with the spell - _A Legendary Ocean!_ "

"That's a card for WATER monsters," Konami noted aloud. "So you're _that_ kind of Duelist."

Misty ignored him. "Next, I'll activate this field spell to give my monsters a little boost! With it on the field, the Level of all WATER monsters in the hand are reduced by one, and more importantly, they'll gain two hundred Attack and Defense Points! That kind of bonus is just what I needed... in order to feel confident summoning this! Come forth, G _ranadora!_ "

Placing the monster card onto her Duel Disk, Misty summoned a large, dark-skinned creature with more teeth than its head could fit. It hissed and growled angrily, and as it did, a strange blue aura overtook Konami and Misty's form.

 _Granadora - (WATER/Reptile) - LV4 - (2100/900)_

"I don't understand," Mina called out. "What's happening?!"

"It's Granadora's effect," Jack explained knowledgably. "When it's summoned, its owner gains an additional thousand Life Points! But... those extra points come at a cost!"

"You're right." Misty replied, surprised Jack knew. "In the event that Granadora is destroyed, my Life Points will take a hit, but I think it's a small price to pay, don't you think?"

No one responded, so Misty decided to continue.

"There's not much else I can do with this being the first Turn... so I'll set one card face-down and leave it to you."

Jack frowned. "Humph. Very well, I'll endeavor to show you just what a real entertainment duel looks like! My Turn, Draw!"

With those powerful words, Jack pulled a card from the top of his deck.

 **TURN TWO - JACK - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"Tsk." the sound of his annoyance filled the stadium not seconds later. "It seems that the entertainment will have to wait. I'll place one monster face-down in Defense Position, and set two cards."

"...Jack?" Mina asked in surprise.

The man folded his arms imperiously. "It couldn't be helped. Next time however, I'll show you how a King duels!"

"Yeah, sure." Konami interrupted. "If you _get_ another Turn, that is! In the meantime, it's mine! Draw!"

With a strong yell of his own, Konami mimicked Jack's action, and drew a card from his deck.

 **TURN THREE - KONAMI - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 5000 LP**

"First things first, I think I'll get rid of the ticking time bomb on the field. That is, if you don't mind, Misty." Konami asked. Misty shook her head in reply.

"Not at all," she told him. "For the duration of this Duel, my cards are yours. Use them however you please."

"Sweet, in that case... I'm tributing Granadora to summon... the mighty _Judge Man_ in Attack Position!"

A streak of lightning struck the earth on which the reptile stood, and as Konami replaced its card with his own, a large and hulking figure rose from the debris.

 _Judge Man - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV6 - (2200/1500)_

"What?" Mina asked. "He tributed that monster to bring out one with only a hundred more Attack Points?"

"Smart." Jack admitted. "Since Granadora's effect only activates if he's destroyed, by tributing him he bypassed the penalty for destruction!"

"That's right," Konami grinned. "And now, I'm gonna cause a little destruction of my own. Judge Man, attack Jack's face-down monster!"

Judge Man howled upon receiving the command, and without any hesitation, swung its mighty dual clubs toward Jack's lowered card hologram. The card fizzled and sparked, revealing the dark, spiraling figure of _Sinister Sprocket_ before vanishing entirely. Jack merely grunted at the scene, unsurprised.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Hardly." Konami replied. "I'll set two cards face-down, and _that'll_ do it for my Turn." he set his gaze on the blue-haired Mina. "That makes it your move, blueberry."

"B-Blueberry?" Mina sputtered.

Konami shrugged. "It was either that or Simmering Simmington, but if I used the latter then you'd ask how I got your last name."

"And just how _did_ you get my last name?" Mina asked.

Konami pointed several lines down. "The plot."

Raising a brow in confusion, Mina quickly decided to ignore him and focus on the Duel. She didn't have time to deal with some nonsensical stand-in. Mr. Atlas was counting on her, after all.

Exhaling softly, Mina Simmington reached for a card... and drew.

"See?" Konami asked, pointing one line up. "It's right there."

 **TURN FOUR - MINA - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"I activate... _Mystical Space Typhoon!_ " Mina cried while placing the card on her Duel Disk. "This will allow me to destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field, and I have just the one in mind! Misty, your Legendary Ocean is about to become nothing more than a memory!"

Misty flinched at the words, and steeled herself as a swirling typhoon suddenly erupted all around them. Their many surroundings vanished into the dust, but instead of returning the world to its former, stadium-based appearance, it instead took on the likeness of Heaven, complete with a large, booming hall.

"What?" Misty gasped, glancing around wildly in confusion. "What is this place? I thought Mystical Space Typhoon was supposed to return the field to normal?!"

"It did," Mina explained. "But I just happened to have activated another card as well. My _Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen_ , that is! And it has a very special effect as well. You see, when I don't control any monsters, I can open the doors to the hall and Special Summon one Fairy-type monster from my hand. Since your partner here was nice enough to destroy Jack's Sinister Sprocket... I think I'll use its effect right now, to bring out the beautiful _Tethys, Goddess of Light!_ "

A golden filled burst from the hall at Mina's behest, and a moment later a tall, white-haired angel emerged from its doors. She gazed upon Judge Man with a stern and wary gaze, and the Judge Man stared back, fascinated.

 _Tethys - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV5 - (2400/1800)_

A moment later, Judge Man had been reduced to ash.

"What the - you already waged an attack?!" Konami asked, surprised at the alarming speed of Mina's moves.

"It was only natural," she replied. "You used that brute that destroy one of Mr. Atlas' monsters! I couldn't just let you get away with that!"

"And yet, you seem to believe I'll let you get away with destroying his?" Misty inquired. "How curious. I'm quite intrigued as to what your fortune decrees of this, but now is not the time. It's my Turn. Draw!"

 **TURN FIVE - MISTY - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 4800 LP**

"You think you have an edge with the monster you've summoned, but you couldn't be further from the truth." Misty mused. "I summon _Gagagigo_ , the tool that shall herald that angel's end!"

A large green reptile hissed as it materialized in full, and it crouched down as if studying its opponent to decide how best to strike.

 _Gagagigo - (WATER/Reptile) - LV4 - (1850/1000)_

"Gagagigo?" asked Jack. "Are you joking? That monster doesn't even have the same number of Attack Points!"

It was true. Konami himself had realized it when the monster appeared on the field. Unless Misty had some sort of plan, she'd just cost them a few more Life Points. Fortunately, it seemed she did.

"It doesn't need Attack Points for what I have in mind," she explained. "Because I also have this, my Trap - _Torrential Tribute!_ "

The face-down she'd set during her first-turn rose upward at her command, revealing the deadly downpour that hid within. She smiled at the suprise in her opponents' eyes before moving to explain.

"This card can only be activated when a monster is summoned to the field. Other than that, its effect is really quite simple. Every single monster on the field is destroyed. While this does mean that my Gagagigo will be joining Judge Man in the Graveyard, it means that your Tethys will be beaten as well!"

Mina frowned at the explanation. "No way... but I just got that monster onto the field!"

"That's how it goes sometimes," Konami muttered. "If nothing else, remember this - _anything_ can happen in a Duel."

"Finally, something we can agree on!" Jack said, deciding to take back the spotlight at long last. "Anything _can_ happen in a Duel, especially when it's one involving someone like me! It's my Turn, is it not? This time for sure, I'll show you the true power of the Jack Atlas! Draw!"

 **TURN SIX - JACK - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

As he added his newest card to his hand, Jack smirked.

It wasn't an expression Konami liked.

"First, I'll be making use of the magic in the _Monster Reborn_ Spell card! However," Jack explained, "it won't be one of our monsters I'll be reviving! Instead, it'll be one of yours! Judge Man!"

The hulking warrior growled as he reappeared on Jack's side of the field, and Konami found himself frowning at the scene.

"Using my own monster against me? That's pretty cold, Atlas! I like it."

"Well then, you're sure to enjoy this!" Jack said, displaying the fact that he was far from done. He reached into his hand and grabbed another card. "I summon the _Dark Tinker_ in Attack Position!"

As Jack pressed the card to his Duel Disk, a small, spider-looking fiend appeared in Judge Man's hair, giggling maniacally and waving its weapons about.

 _Dark Tinker - (DARK/Fiend) - LV2 - (1000/1300)_

"Dark Tinker?" Konami asked. "That's a Tuner monster!"

"Which means that it's now or never!" Misty interrupted. "I'm activating your face-down, Konami! _Just Desserts!_ It inflicts five hundred points of damage for each monster on your side of the field, Jack! And since we both know that you're about to have only _one_ , I'll use its effect now to get the most I can out of it!"

Jack grunted as the great red hand of the Just Desserts Trap lashed out at him, but unlike Alice the night before, he did not break. Konami supposed that it had something to do with the fact that _this wasn't a Shadow Game_ , but hey, you never know.

"It'll take more than some underhanded effect like that to beat me!" Jack declared. "And even if you got to my Life Points, you haven't destroyed either of the monsters I have on my field!"

"Tch." Misty muttered. "No, I haven't."

"And so, I'll tune the Level Six Judge Man occupying my field with the Level Two Dark Tinker I just summoned!" Jack continued. A swirling pillar of light and wind circled around the monsters as he spoke, and they vanished into a strange combination of sigils and stars. Jack gazed upon the structure with a determined gaze, and then, he raised his fist as if to greet the heavens itself.

 _"The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! Synchro Summon! My very soul,_ _ **Red Dragon Archfiend!**_ _"_

The structure scattered and burst, and from its remains, a single dragon was borne. Wrapped in the scales of the devil itself, it released a great and powerful roar that shook the very gates of Valhalla.

 _Red Dragon Archfiend - (DARK/Dragon/Synchro) - LV8 - (3000/2000)_

Mina smiled at the sight of it. "The Red Dragon Archfiend! I never thought I'd see it this close..."

"Humph. With this, the path to my victory begins!" Jack roared, and he swung his hand forward toward Misty and Konami. "Red Dragon Archfiend, attack them directly with _Crimson Fire!_ "

The mighty dragon flapped its wings once, and as it did, a burning sphere of hellfire wrapped around its front right claw. It released a devastating roar then, and swooped toward Konami and Misty, intent on blowing them away with all its power.

"Guh...!" Konami hissed, crossing his arms to defend against the incoming assault. Time slowed for the briefest of moments, and in that time, he had a thought.

'This is gonna hurt.'

It did.

 **KONAMI & MISTY - R.I.P.**

"Hold on just a Slifer Slackin' minute!" Konami shouted, emerging from the ensuing debris fully intact. "Don't go writing us off just yet! We just said that this wasn't even a Shadow Game, darn it!"

Though he didn't see it, Misty's brow raised remarkably high at his words.

"Humph. So you managed to endure, did you?" Jack asked. "Good! Our Duel's not finished quite yet, and I'd hate to have to send Mina to find you a replacement!"

"I'm the Player Avatar, I _never_ get replaced!" Konami exclaimed.

Jack grinned confidently. "That's the spirit! Now, stand tall and show me what you've got!"

"Oh I'll show you something alright," Konami promised. "My Turn. Draw!"

He ripped his next card from his Duel Disk, and grinned.

 **TURN SEVEN - KONAMI - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 1800 LP**

"I summon..." he began, raising his chosen card high above his head before bringing it down upon his Duel Disk. "The _Lord of D._ in Attack Position!"

A tan-skinned sorcerer garbed in dragonic gear materialized at Konami's behest, and he stared down the Red Dragon Archfiend with a dangerous gaze.

 _Lord of D. - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1200/1100)_

"Now... this is where things get interesting!" Konami continued. He reached into his hand for another card, grinning as his fingers wrapped around the one he needed. Pulling it from the safety of his hand, he slid it into his Duel Disk... and grinned. "Behold," he shouted. "The magic borne from the _Flute of Summoning Dragon!_ " (Lol such BS. I never managed to actually use its effect fully)

A golden flute shaped like a dragon's head appeared in the Lord of D.'s hands at that moment, and without hesitation, the great sorcerer blew into its mouthpiece. A loud and chilling scream echoed throughout the landscape at its use, and seconds later, the most iconic _Duel Monster_ of all time soared overhead.

Jack's eyes went wide. "What the-?" he asked, too surprised to speak.

"Is that?" Mina added, not daring to believe it herself.

Even Misty was astonished.

"Beware," Konami warned, "for the greatest of my monsters has appeared at last! Please, give a warm welcome... to the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon!_ "

The dragon roared loudly, challenging the Archfiend for the mantle of King.

 _Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2500)_

"Impossible! Where'd you get that card?!" Jack asked. "I thought there were only three in the world!"

"Clearly, you thought wrong." Konami chuckled. "Blue-Eyes, blast that Red Dragon Archfiend to smithereens! _White Lightning!_ "

"But why?!" Jack asked. "Our monsters have the same Attack Points! If you attack with him now, they'll both be destroyed!"

Konami's eyes steeled, and he clenched his fist dramatically. "Some things... just have to be done. Go, Blue-Eyes! Blow them all away!"

The white dragon roared obediently, and it charged toward the Red Dragon, tackling it into the halls of Valhalla itself. Their claws and teeth ripped and lashed at each other violently, and together, they tumbled and tussled throughout the environment, taking down much of scenery as they fought. Before long however, their holograms began to fade, and it was clear something had to give.

Separating as they felt the end approach, the two dragons prepared their strongest attacks. Infernal heat began to gather around Red Dragon Archfiend's famed fist, but the white light circling within Blue-Eyes' jaws would not be denied. They soared toward each other once more, and in that critical moment, they both lashed out.

"Guh...!"

"Augh...!"

"No!"

"Argh!"

The four Duelists beneath them could do nothing but shield their eyes as a great explosion roared overhead. Fire and brimstone rained down on them from above, but even still, the Duel dragged on.

Konami, naturally, was the first to recover.

"Lord of D.!" he shouted immediately, "Don't let Blue-Eyes' sacrifice go to waste! Attack them directly! _Ground Pound!_ "

Jack had only just lowered his defenses with the dragon sorcerer appeared out of the smoke. Before he could even begin to defend himself, the former King found himself punched and bruised, leaving him to stagger backward in what could only have been fake pain.

"Bwuagh...!" he coughed.

"M-Mr. Atlas!" Mina shouted worriedly.

"I'm fine!" he grunted, recovering quickly enough.

"I'll set one card and end my Turn." Konami said finally.

"T-Then... it's my move!" Mina shouted, and she quickly drew her next card.

 **TURN EIGHT - MINA - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 1800 LP**

"Valhalla's effect activates!" she said first. "Since I control no monsters, I can use its effect to Special Summon _Mokey Mokey_ in Defense Position!"

The small, pillow-shaped fairy whined as it flew through the damaged gate, and it promptly fell flat on its face in front of Mina quietly.

 _Mokey Mokey - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV1 - (300/100)_

"And now..." Mina glanced at her hand cautiously. "I'll set another monster as well!"

"Going for a strong defense, then?" Konami winced.

'I have to!' Mina thought. 'Mr. Atlas has been carrying us this entire Duel! I have to help him carry this burden. I won't be the reason we lose! There has to be something I can do! Anything - _ah!_ '

"I'll finish things off with a face-down. It's... your move, Misty."

Misty smiled softly at the words. "I see, then I shall endeavor to do my best." her eyes shone with sudden determination, and she quickly pulled her next card from her deck. "Draw!"

 **TURN NINE - MISTY - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 1800 LP**

"I too, shall summon a monster!" she decided. "I call _Razor Lizard_ to the field in Attack Mode!"

A small, blade-gilled reptillian appeared before her at the decision, and Misty smiled at its presence. It gawked in reply, and with wide, beady eyes, turned to take in the state of its foes.

 _Razor Lizard - (EARTH/Reptile) - LV3 - (1500/300)_

"And now... it's time to attack!" Misty breathed. "First, I'll have my Razor Lizard attack your face-down monster!"

Mina cursed at the words, knowing that her monster was no match for it. Seconds later the fact was made known to all, as a small but fragile _Key Mace_ was suddenly cleaved in half.

"Next, Lord of D.!" Misty continued mercilessly. "Destroy her Mokey Mokey!"

The dragon sorcerer nodded once at the command. Following Razor Lizard's example, it charged across the field and cleaved through the pitiful Fairy with a single overwhelming strike. Mokey Mokey whined a second time as it poofed into oblivion, leaving Mina and Jack defenseless once more.

Except they weren't.

'It's now or never!' Mina thought. "I activate my face-down, _Call of the Haunted!_ "

"What?!" Konami and Misty exclaimed as one, not having expected such a thing.

"With this, I can revive one monster in our Graveyard!" Mina said hastily. "To give Jack this chance... there's only one monster I can choose! Red Dragon Archfiend, become the King's soul once more! Rise up!"

A pillar of flame was Mina's reward, and from its center, the great dragon was reborn.

'Damn it!' Konami thought. 'If it's like this... no! There's still a chance! That face-down card I laid earlier. _Two-Pronged Attack!_ As long as Misty activates it, then we'll make it through this...!'

"I... end my Turn." Misty said softly.

Konami's eyes widened.

"Then it's my move!" Jack roared, drawing one last card.

 **TURN TEN - JACK - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 1800 LP**

"You fought well, but not well enough!" he roared boisterously. "Let it be known that the power of Jack Atlas remains true. Red Dragon Archfiend, destroy their Lord of D.! _Crimson Flare!_ "

The dragon's fist flew, and the Duel came to an end.

 **JACK AND MINA - 1800 LP**

 **MISTY AND KONAMI - 0 LP**

Konami did nothing. What was there to say? He'd lost, plain and simple. His partner had failed him at the critical moment, and because of it... his record was now unclean.

"Humph, is that it then?" Jack asked, and Konami was ready to fight until he realized it wasn't to him Jack spoke. No, it was the director - a rich-looking young man with dark, _normal-_ looking hair.

Konami didn't like him already.

"Yep, that's everything!" the director said with a grin. "Thanks for all the help today Jack, it was an amazing Duel!"

"Of course." Jack said, "Entertainment is always necessary when Dueling with Jack Atlas! Mina, your help was appreciated too."

"Y-Yes, of course Mr. Atlas. I was happy to be here..."

"W-What...?" Konami breathed. Was this what it felt like, being on the losing side for once?

Damn, he didn't know if he could get used to it.

"Hey," Misty's voice called to him from the brink. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Am I feeling alright? What kind of question is that...?" Konami muttered. "We just got beat by a british villain and his insecure secretary sidekick!"

Misty couldn't help it; she laughed. The sound seemed scornful to Konami somehow, and he turned to glare at the woman angrily.

"What's the big idea, laughing like that?" he asked. "It's _your_ fault, you know! If you'd just activated that face-down I'd placed-"

"Oh, Konami... I _couldn't_ activate it, don't you see?" she asked in reply.

No, Konami thought. He couldn't, because it was stupid, and she _totally could have_ -

"This Duel was a rehearsal, remember?" Misty asked, interrupting his thoughts. "It's supposed to be a part of the movie! They had cameras rolling and everything."

"Yeah, and?" asked Konami, not seeing where she was going with this.

"The movie is 'Atlas Rising', silly." Misty said. "And if there's one thing about Jack Atlas' rise that _everyone_ knows, it's that he didn't suffer a _single defeat_ on his way to the top."

And suddenly, he understood. The lame set-up, the half-baked Turns...

"Wait a minute, you're saying... we were _supposed_ to lose?!" Konami gawked. Misty nodded, laughing at the extraordinary look Konami was no doubt giving her at that moment. "Then that means, this whole time... I was the only one Dueling seriously! Are you frickin' kidding me right now?!"

"Not at all. I'll admit it was rather amusing, watching you get so worked up and all. But it's not like I could have told you. The cameras were rolling, after all." Misty explained.

"Guh... great. Now I just _feel_ bad."

"Don't. You fought well." Misty said softly. "And... I'm sure that you felt it, did you not? The bond we created with this Duel... it seems that it has the power to stand up to even Atlas himself."

Konami sighed. "I don't know about that. It's true that if you'd used my face-down his Red Dragon Archfiend would've been toast... but the duel could've gone either way after that. Still, something about this just feels wrong to me. Throwing a Duel on purpose like that... it really eats me up inside, you know?"

Misty frowned. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Konami said, waving her off. "I'm still a little salty, is all. It'll pass. That being said, if you're really sorry, there is one thing I can think of to make me forgive you..."

Misty tilted her head curiously at his words. She seemed ready for any request, and there was no way Konami was gonna pass it up. One way or another, he was getting those tickets.

And so, as he opened his mouth to speak, the event came to an end.

 _THE KING STANDS TALL: JACK ATLAS DEFEATS KAIBA IN SHOCKING REHEARSAL_

"And so the plot thickens," Sayer drawled. "I'd never had thought the boy commanded the might of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

He was alone in his office, for once. Akiza was off gathering reconnaissance on her target, and the other sheeplings of the Arcadia Movement were busy running whatever errands she had given them. In other words, it was the perfect opportunity to check on his latest project.

Reaching beneath his office desk, Sayer hit the secret switch hidden against its side. There was a soft beep, and seconds later, a secret door in the room slid open, revealing the large, human-sized test tube within.

Sayer strode to it with all the confidence of a madman.

"How much longer will it be until you wake, I wonder?" he asked quietly, placing a hand against the tube gently. "Already I can feel myself fading. My wings have treaded too close to the sun, and now..." Sayer trailed off.

"The project proceeds smoothly. The Sacred Beasts are stronger than ever. It is only a matter of time until we run their next test. Who should we use?" Sayer asked. "The hateful Security who chases the King? The ignorant twin who fought as a girl? Or perhaps... you would rather I offer myself to Beasts' tender mercies? In the end, it matters not. So long as our dream is made reality, no price is too high."

He wiped a hand across the test tube's glass, and smirked at his growing clone body within.

"We will become gods, you and I. And then... the city of New Domino will be ours. So sayeth Sayer. So sayeth... _Divine_."


	3. Chapter 3

The walk back to the apartment was long and bleak. Misty had left Konami to his own devices after the Duel, but had assured him that she'd look into acquiring tickets for his use. It was a small comfort compared to the sting of loss he'd felt - even if it had been a scripted defeat.

So he took the long way home, hoping that the prolonged walk would give him time to think of what to do with his deck. Clearly, Starter Deck: Kaiba wasn't good enough.

'Hold on,' he thought while glancing at the moonlit sky. 'The opening scene's at night? Something's about to happen.'

He was right.

Konami hadn't even gotten halfway through his next step when a blinding light erupted from a nearby alley. Accompanied by a pained cry and the sound of a body hitting pavement, it burst from the alley's entrance, flooding even the street with its luminous glow. The light stayed for several moments, and Konami squinted through it, until finally, the shadows began to rise. The light dimmed, and the street was once again doused in darkness.

The sound of stalking footsteps soon followed.

Staying where he was, Konami prepared himself for a fight. He didn't know who or what was about to emerge from the alley, but he knew that they couldn't be good. It was nighttime after all, and that meant that he'd be facing a Rare Hunter, a Shadow Rider, or even worse... a Dark Signer!

'Well, maybe not that last one,' Konami amended. 'We're not that far into the plot yet.'

The one responsible for the footsteps appeared in the alley's entrance, and Konami's eyes widened.

It was the Witch.

" _You!_ " gasped Konami.

The Witch's expression couldn't be seen. She was wearing a mask.

"You," she replied calmly.

"Me?" Konami asked, taking a surprised step back.

"You," the Witch confirmed with a nod. She began taking slow and meaningful steps toward him. "I've been looking for you. For an entire day now, I have scoured the city high and low in search of discerning your whereabouts. From the dirt of the Daimon Area to the tallest tower in Tops, I have endeavored to leave no stone unturned. I have suffered neither food nor drink, content in knowing that until my mission was complete, I would not be allowed to rest-"

When it became clear that the Witch was far from finished, Konami rolled his eyes and pulled out his PDA. The Witch seemed to take no note of it, as she was far too caught up in her own words.

'Oh, Slifes,' Konami thought as he glanced at the screen. 'Fifteen missed calls from Carly. She's gonna be pissed. Hey, wait a minute. How'd she get my number? I'm pretty sure I never told it to her - forget it. I've got more important things to do, like checking _FaceSpace_!'

He opened the app and gasped at what he saw. 'Oh, wow! A friend request?! From _Misty_?! AcceptAcceptAcceptAccept _Accept_ \- and done! Hah, take that Chazz! Bet _you_ don't have any supermodel friends. Wha-?' Time slowed, and he turned to you. "Oh, it's _you_. What? Are you pissed off that I'm not paying attention to your number one girl over there?" he asked, gesturing over his thumb to the approaching Akiza. "Well, can you blame me? I mean, she's _rambling_. Besides, I paid attention to her last time, and look how that turned out! A story with over a hundred chapters, numerous spin-offs (many of which have been deleted), a half-baked TVtropes page, and most importantly, _Enzo!_ " Konami blinked. "But isn't this supposed to be a remake, you ask? Well, it was. But that was way back at the start of 2016 before the author said forget it. Now this is _my_ remake, which means this is gonna go _my_ way. And by my way, I mean _**BETTER**_. Now then, if you excuse me... I have a plot to get back to." He turned away from you, put up his PDA, and faced the Witch as time resumed.

"-but now, after all these hours of searching, I have found you. You, who has somehow managed to catch the eye of he whom I admire most. Why? Why is it that you, who would gather cards from the dirt, can garner his attention more than _me_ , his most faithful?" the Witch stopped walking. "I wish to know these things. I wish to discover what it is you have that I do not... but for now, I must hold back. For _he_ demands your presence."

Konami tensed. "Lady, no one can demand my anything," he said confidently. "But they can request it."

"The leader of the Arcadia Movement does not make _requests_ ," the Witch replied sternly. "When he wants something done, you do it. Whether you want to," she placed a card on the Duel Disk attached to her arm, " _or not._ "

Numerous green tentacles lashed out from her Duel Disk then, and it was only when they neared that Konami realized they were accompanied by thick veiny thorns.

"Sorry," he said apologetically, deciding to do the smart thing and take evasive maneuvers. "But I'm allergic to tentacle porn."

"They're vines!" the Witch cursed angrily. Konami rolled his eyes, but amended his statement.

Several of the vines whipped the area where he stood but seconds ago, and Konami raised his brow at the Witch's viciousness. Perhaps the rumors about her being a sadist were true?

"Get back here!" the Witch howled angrily. She raised her right arm, prompting the greenery to rush after Konami once more. He ducked and dodged through them on his way to an escape route, but not even he, awesome though he was, could escape unscathed. As he attempted to duck beneath one vine while weaving through another, one of the lashing tendrils cut down across his back. It sliced through his rough red jacket with ease, leaving Konami to cry out in pain while enduring all the pain of a fully-cracked whip.

"Ah!"

"Like that?" the Witch asked, probably knowing that he didn't. "Here," she said anyway, taking advantage of his moment of weakness, "have another!"

With another jaunt of her hand, the Witch ordered the vines to hurt Konami again.

And again.

 _And again._

It wasn't long until he'd fallen to his knees in pain, but still they did not stop. One after another the violent foliage whipped and tore at Konami's body, fully intent on beating and breaking him until nothing remained but a husk for the Witch to show her master.

For obvious reasons, Konami didn't think it'd be a good idea to stick around long enough for that to become a reality. Digging deep within himself, he climbed back to one knee just as the vines began their next approach. Unlike before however, he made no move to dodge. Instead, he reached out, and _grabbed_ one of the vines with his bare hands. He winced and hissed at the ensuing pain the motion caused.

Clearly, he hadn't thought his action through. Still, he had one now; a single wriggling, squirming thorn-covered vine to call his own. Even as the others lashed and wittled away at his body, Konami remained firm, and his grip - tight. He could not, _would not_ , waste his chance.

He remembered seeing the vines protrude from the Witch's Duel Disk. Even then, they remained bound to the device, extending from the dark depths of what was supposed to be the Graveyard slot.

Konami grinned. If the Witch was truly a Psychic, and the vines really were coming from her Duel Disk and not just some trick; then surely...?

His thought trailed off, and he instead made to test his idea directly. Taking his vine by both hands, he climbed back to both feet, and _pulled_.

The Witch hadn't been expecting it. Caught in a sudden game of Tug-o-war, she could not have foreseen what would have happened. Though Konami's weight and muscle strained against the vine and its owner, in the end, the surprise gave him the edge he needed. With a mighty heave, he brought the Witch barreling forward, prompting her to stumble and trip over her own feet.

The crash removed her card from her Duel Disk, and as the vines faded from the material world, Konami struck. Racing forward, he neared the Witch's downed form, and swung his right leg upward as if punting a football.

Booted foot met masked face, and the Witch went out like a light.

"Haa... Haa... Ha..." breathed Konami while staggering away from the woman's unconscious form. He slumped against a wall moments later, but quickly glanced back at the Witch to ensure she didn't move.

She didn't.

"This was supposed to be the part where I say something dramatic," he told her dreaming body. "But I'm pretty sure you've already heard most my lines."

He turned his gaze back to the road ahead, and started slumping his way home.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three - Into the Shadows**_

* * *

The roaring laugh of Chazz Princeton filled the air, even as the others glared at him through the computer screen.

"What happened?" Alexis asked. "Did you get in get in a fight?"

"Looks more like he fell into a meat grinder..." the blue-haired form of Syrus Truesdale muttered.

Konami waved them both off. "Nah. Just had a little incident while I was doing some weedeating."

"That looks like more than a little, Konami!" Alexis accused. "Have you even looked in the mirror? You're really beaten up."

"Nothing a quick lie in bed can't fix," Konami replied. "Really Alexis, it's fine. To be honest, I'm more worried about what you guys wanted to talk to me about."

It was something he'd seen while looking at his PDA. While glancing through the many reminders of Carly's missed messages (he still hadn't called her back BTW), he came across a single request from his old pals, asking him to get on chat. Ordinarily he'd wait until the morning to talk to them, but it sounded urgent, so there he was.

"Just me, really." Alexis explained, switching her conversation with him to private chat. "You'd say you're pretty acquainted with the area around New Domino City now, wouldn't you?"

"Well, as acquainted as I could be having lived here for just a few days." Konami grunted. "Why? What's up?"

"Are you aware of any Duel Academies nearby?" Alexis asked instead. "Downtown, perhaps? Or maybe up in-"

"-Tops? Yeah, I know of it." said Konami. "Pass by it everytime I go out for lunch. Why? What's going on?"

"I need some files dropped off by tomorrow morning." Alexis explained. "I'd fax them over, but apparently their printers have been having trouble receiving anything from overseas the past couple of days."

"Hm... is that so? It's almost like they shut down when I got here on purpose..." Konami drawled, glaring at the author. 'I'm on to you.'

"I hate to intrude upon you like this, but I'd really appreciate it if you could run them over for me first thing tomorrow." Alexis requested. "You should just be able to swing them by the Main Office. A Principal Heittman should be expecting them."

"Heittman, huh?" Konami asked, tasting the name on his lips. "I dunno, the name sounds kinda... Crowler-y. What kind of files are these, anyway?"

"Classified, that's what." Alexis replied. "Seriously, don't look at them! You'll get me in trouble."

With who, she didn't say.

Konami pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, this is sounding more and more plot-pushing by the second. Fine, whatever. I'll take the files. Just lemme turn my printer on right quick."

"Don't stare at it while it's printing," Alexis warned. "And to make sure you don't look, I'll be printing the cover page last, along with two extra pages to make sure you don't see anything. So unless you actually go looking, what's supposed to be classified will remain classified, got it?!"

"Yeah, yeah," Konami said while digging through his stuff. "Hang on a minute would you?"

Alexis nodded, and even had the decency to wait as he moved through his room to get everything set up.

"Okay," Konami said fifteen minutes later. He'd needed to dig the printer out of his moving box. "It's all hooked up and everything now. Send 'em when you're ready."

"Sending now," Alexis said. "Thanks for this. I really do appreciate it."

"Mmhm. Just make sure you remember this the next time I ask you to do me a solid." Konami replied.

Alexis smiled, "Sure thing. Now, I have one more class to help teach until I'm done for the day, so if you'll excuse me..." She logged off the chat a moment later, and Konami sighed as the unmistakable sound of printing filled the air.

"Figures," he muttered. "Sticks around long enough to ask something of me then kicks me to the curb." Time slowed, and Konami turned to you. "Seriously. It's always, "go get this!" or, "here, Duel them!" All these horrible, repetitive tasks... it's almost like I'm a _game_ character or something!"

Time resumed.

"So?" Syrus asked, reminding Konami to the fact he was on the chat once it was no longer private. "What'd she ask you to do?"

"Sorry tumbleweed," Konami apologized, "it's classified. Queen's orders." He did a mock salute, and then glanced to his bed. "Besides, I've got more important things to do than talk to you. I've got about twelve hours until I need to get up again, and it'll take ten of them to sleep the whiplash off. So, if you'll excuse _me_..." he said, using Alexis' own words to mark his departure. He couldn't help it. They were good words!

He logged off without berating Chazz good night and then fell into his bed, exhausted. Ignorant to him however, was the fact that he was still supposed to be being watched. He wasn't, however, as the one who was supposed to be watching him was nearly thirty five miles away, explaining her most recent failure to Konami's future archnemesis.

 _Arcadia Movement Headquarters - Boss Man's Office_

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I'm not quite sure I heard you correctly." Sayer said, drumming his fingers along his desk while staring at the wounded by submissive form of his strongest weapon. His fingers stopped drumming. "Because it sounds to me like you said that you failed to procure him after assaulting him with your _Thorns of Malice!_ "

Though her focus was on the cracked mask cradled between her fingers, the Black Rose Witch still heard enough of Sayer's words to flinch. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I merely thought-"

"Ah," interrupted Sayer. "And therein lies the problem. You aren't supposed to think. You're supposed to do as you're told, exactly the way you're told to do it. Nowhere in my commands did I tell you to assail our young friend. All I asked was for you to bring him to me. I suppose I should have clarified that I wanted him alive, and more importantly... _unharmed!_ "

The Witch bowed her head.

"It is for the good of the Arcadia Movement," Sayer reminded her. "There is something about our friend that demands researching. Surely you, having been in his presence, have felt it?"

"Yes," said the Witch. "There is a certain air about him. Something that makes you want to react to him in certain ways. Even shielded by the magic of the mask as I was, I could feel him calling to the wounded soul I carry within. It is much like your own charisma... but different. Alien, somehow. When I encountered him, I had a certain feeling. A feeling that if I left him be, Aki would overcome me. She would overcome me... and this boy would take you somewhere I cannot follow."

Sayer's brow raised. "You had a vision? _You?_ "

"No," the Witch said. "A feeling. Just a feeling."

"Be it a feeling or a vision, it's clear that you saw something." Sayer said as he rose from his chair. He circled around his desk to stand before the Witch and then raised a hand to caress her face gently. "You saw something, and because of it, you fear him."

The Witch disagreed. "I fear losing you. You... and the Movement you've worked so hard to build."

"Then you understand how important it is that we bring him into the fold," Sayer replied. "His ability is not something we can allow ourselves to ignore. And... there is something more. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon of ages' past... He has one."

"What?" breathed the Witch.

"I know not how or why, but it is true." Sayer mused. He moved his hand from the Witch's cheek to instead fondle her hair. "So you see now, why we cannot leave him alone."

"If the Arcadia Movement was to wield such a card..." the Witch whispered, "not only as a monster, but as a symbol as well...!"

"...Much of our opposition would be brought to heel." Sayer finished the thought with a smile. "Now, Akiza. You must be tired, no? Come. Let us enjoy ourselves a little before putting you to rest."

"Yes," the Witch said, and she offered no resistance as Sayer pushed her against the desk.

 _Somewhere Important - Hero's Bedroom_

Twelve hours later, Konami awoke. His wounds were gone and healed, leaving not a single reminder of the battle fought half a day ago. Yawning as he swung himself out from beneath the covers, Konami took in the sight of the universe, and shivered.

"Somehow, I can't help but feel like I've witnessed something dirty." he muttered.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before making to stand, and then sighed at the sight of the printer sitting in the corner. It's blinking green light indicated it was still using power. That only meant one thing: He'd forgotten to turn it off last night.

Darn it, his electric bill was gonna be so high...!

'Oh wait,' he thought suddenly. 'I don't have to pay utility bills. One of the perks to not being real.'

That didn't mean the blinking light didn't annoy him though.

"Okay, stop it already!" he told the device, tapping the power button before snatching the papers Alexis sent him last night. As promised, several empty pages were on top of them, keeping him from reading the information several sheets below.

The empty pages were tossed aside easily enough.

"Now then," he murmured to himself quietly. "Let's see what all this classified nonsense is about."

He skipped past the cover page, and read the first line.

"What the - _Great mouths of Slifer!_ There's no way I'm letting this pass!"

A quick tap and a chairseat later, he was on private chat, glaring at Alexis.

She sighed at the sight of him. "You looked at the papers, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Konami said, waving the offending objects in front of the facecam as he spoke. "And you know what, I don't even know where to begin! I mean, what the actual Shadow Realm, Alexis?! There's no way I'm letting you transfer over here!"

Alexis folded her arms. "I'm not asking for your permission!"

Konami slammed his fist on the table. "Well, you should be! This is a story based on a game about _me_! There's no way I'm letting you and your little boytoy Jaden swoop in to steal the spotlight!"

"So you're a glory hog, is that what you're saying?" Alexis asked. She looked unimpressed. "It's not like I'm trying to bruise your ego here! You yourself said that you came to New Domino for a new start! Having moved to the States to live on my own after graduation, I know how hard that can be. I just wanted to help you settle in."

"Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary." replied Konami. "Besides, I didn't come to New Domino for a new start, but a _RE_ start! There's a difference. Now, I'm gonna shred these transfer papers before someone important gets their hands on them. Then you and I are gonna have a nice long talk about the pros and cons of meddling. And believe me Alexis, it's a long list."

"Then it's a good thing I teach an early class." Alexis replied. "I won't have time to sit here and listen to a lecture. Especially since its coming from someone my own age! Later."

Without another word she disconnected, leaving Konami to stare at the black screen angrily. He clenched his fist, scrunching the transfer papers clutched in the same hand as a result.

"You see?! This is why I hate Overbearing Obelisks! Luckily, I have just the thing to keep her occupied and out of this city." He pulled out his PDA and dialed Bastion. "Yeah. It's me. Activate... _Atticus._ "

He hung up, and slid the PDA back into his pocket.

'Heh,' he thought. 'That'll teach her.'

Closing his laptop and rising from his chair, Konami pulled on his signature red hat and left for the great outdoors. Unfortunately, it seemed as though nothing was meant to go his way. He had taken but a single step out of his apartment when he tumbled into a young woman. A young woman he knew, and to whom you've already been introduced.

"F-Found you!" shouted Carly Carmine, journalist extraordinaire.

"Tch," Konami grunted, glancing away from the woman whose calls he'd purposefully ignored.

"What's with that greeting?" Carly asked, reeling back in surprise. "Wait, don't tell me... your loss to Jack has turned you into a DARK-type?!

"W-What the-" Konami sputtered. "How do you know about my Duel with Jack? It was in a private area!"

Carly's surprise melted into a grin, and she signed two 'V for Victory' symbols with her fingers. "You didn't think I'd miss a Duel involving Jack Atlas, did you?! He may have lost to Yusei Fudo at the Fortune Cup, but as far as I'm concerned, Jack's still the true blue King of New Domino City. As for how I managed to watch it, well... that's a secret! One that definitely doesn't involve sneaking in during the big commotion Jack made, and certainly doesn't include hiding beneath the stands with a bunch of other super-fans!"

"I-I see..." Konami murmured, unsure of whether it'd be better to call Carly out or not.

"A-Anyway," Carly continued. "That's beside the point! Why haven't you picked up any of the times I called you?! It could've been really important, you know?!"

"To be honest, I didn't pick up because I was too busy wondering how you got my number in the first place." Konami drawled. "Let me guess, that's a secret too?"

"No, I just gave some shady guy in a back alley a little Depii to get info on you," Carly replied. "Wait, that was supposed to be a secret!"

"You know, in the real world this is the part where I'd get a restraining order on you." Konami told her. "Lucky for you, this is a videogame... fanfiction... thing. It gets a little confusing at times."

"Never mind all that!" Carly said, waving off Konami's strange words before taking his hand. "We've got to go!"

"What? Where? Why? _I had stuff to do!_ " Konami shouted.

"Well it'll have to wait!" Carly told him. "Because if you'd have listened to any of the thousand messages I left you, you'd know that I got a lead!"

"A lead?" Konami inquired. "On what?"

"A Sacred Beast! What else?!"

Oh right. That was still a thing, wasn't it?

"Now come on," Carly said, dragging him toward the elevator. "Our next stop... is prison!"

Konami's eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly... timeskip.

"Prison? _Really?_ " he asked. He was seated in the back of Carly's van, surrounded by all kinds of living equipment and other handy assortments. "What's a Sacred Beast doing there?"

"Exerting its dominance over the other inmates, apparently." Carly explained. She took a hard right turn, rocking the van as she swiveled into oncoming traffic. Konami was surprised she hadn't killed them both yet. "I was surprised," she continued. "I thought it'd be a lot harder to find than it was, but one search on any recent influxes in DSD told me all I needed to know!"

"DSD?" Konami asked.

"Damage Sustained by Dueling," clarified Carly. "You know, stuff like with what we saw during your Duel with Uria. Broken buildings, injured people. Obviously I had to differentiate between damages caused by Psychic Duels and potential Sacred Beast activity, but this time we got lucky! See, ever since Psychic Duelists became a thing, Goodwin's been keeping them separate from regular inmates. That's why this one called out to me! The location that's been suffering from recent DSD... it's an area that usually holds only normal humans!"

"In other words, unless there was an accident that brought a Psychic into a 'mundane' prison..." Konami realized. "It's likely a Sacred Beast causing trouble."

"That's right!" Carly agreed, and she suddenly slammed on her brakes. "We're here."

She unbuckled her seatback and stepped out of the car, opening the door for Konami to do the same a moment later. Though he was initially blinded by the sun, his eyes soon adjusted, and he stared at the large, stone building standing before him.

"Hey, I thought you said it was supposed to be a prison?" Konami asked.

"It is one," Carly grinned. "The largest and most fearsome prison Sector Security's ever produced! I give to you... the one, the only, _**NEW DOMINO FACILITY!**_ "

Konami expected some sort of impressive background music to occur at that point, but he'd temporarily forgotten that he was in a story - not a TV show.

"Well," he sighed, "let's get this over with. Are they at least expecting us?"

"Of course!" Carly grinned. "I called ahead to make sure they knew we were coming. Actually, one of the people I spoke with seemed to know you!"

"Did they...?" Konami asked, wondering who in the world it could be. He certainly didn't remember talking with any security guards... and he _definitely_ didn't make a habit of mingling with criminals.

He was a model citizen, after all.

Stopping in front of the Facility's large iron gate, he and Carly stared up at the numerous devices brimming with activity. Seconds later a green light washed over them, taking in everything about their appearance.

"Two human bodies identified," the machine chirped. "One Male detected. One Female detected. No contraband located. Alerting proper authorities..."

A large, blaring alarm followed the statement, and Konami glanced at Carly suspiciously.

"Erm... is that supposed to happen?" he asked, receiving a wary chuckle in response.

"Uh, I hope so?" Carly said.

Their answer came soon enough.

"That'll be all, Stanley." A young woman said, emerging from the large iron gate through the use of a much smaller iron door. "These two are guests."

The green light washed over the woman as well, and she sighed.

"One human body identified," the machine, _Stanley_ , buzzed. "One Blueberry detected. No contraband located. Alerting proper authorities..."

The buzzing continued.

"Ignore it," the woman said. "We've been having problems with it for a while now. It's part of the reason Director Goodwin stationed me here with additional guards."

Konami snapped his fingers. "That's it! I remember now, you were the girl on Jack's team! What was your name again? Xena? Teena? No, that's not it..."

"It's Mina," the woman answered finally, frowning at Konami's lack of memory. "You've already forgotten? We Dueled just yesterday..."

"Eh, you're a side character. Can't blame me for forgetting you." Konami shrugged. "So, working at the prison now, huh? What happened to managing Jack Atlas?"

"It... didn't work out." Mina said softly.

What she didn't say was that Jack had ran out on her after the Duel, and that Goodwin had _flipped_ upon realizing she'd lost him. Her transfer to the Facility was punishment for her failure to monitor Jack properly. But we'll get to that later.

"Too bad," Konami said. "You seemed like you'd be good at it."

Mina smiled softly. "Thank you, but... it seems like my boss doesn't feel the same."

"Okay, we feel bad for you and all, but what about the Sacred Beast card?" Carly asked, not feeling bad at all that a beautiful woman was no longer in contact with her secret crush. "It's here, right?!"

"Sacred Beast card?" Mina asked. "I don't know about anything like that, but our inmates have been acting rather strange lately. Ever since Armstrong was replaced after being beaten by Mr. Fudo we've been giving them more time to Duel, but recently they've somehow been injuring themselves as a result. I asked Officer Trudge to test the inmates to see if we have any latent Psychics, but all tests have turned up negative."

"So it really is something other than Psychic Duels causing the DSD!" Carly grinned. She adjusted her glasses hungrily. "In other words, a Sacred Beast! Scoop, here I come!"

"Hang on Carly," Konami interrupted. "I'm still not convinced. What about the inmates? Have you questioned those injured directly?"

"Of course," replied Mina, "but none of them seem to remember anything. Well, nothing about the actual Duel, anyway. As for their opponent, well..." she trailed off, leaving Konami to raise a brow at her silence.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's just... they all remember one thing," Mina explained. "And that's Devack."

"Devack?" Carly gasped. "Not the same Devack who was caught trying to sacrifice children?"

"Whoa, whoa, what?" Konami asked, shooting his head back and forth between Carly and Mina. "What's all this about sacrificing children? I thought this was a feel good fic! Who is this guy?"

Mina sighed. It seemed as though the cat was out of the bag. "Devack is - _was_ \- the leader of a dangerous cult a few years back. He and his allies sought to bring about the end days by summoning a real-life Exodia, a feat they thought possible only through the spilling of innocent blood."

"I remember this," Konami breathed. "It's the plot of the abandoned fic, _Man Among Dogs!_ "

"On the day of their ceremony however, one of their members went renegade. He spilled their secrets to Sector Security, and as a result, we managed to catch them before anyone got hurt." Mina continued.

"I remember that," Carly said. "It was a big deal on the news because some of the kids taken belonged to some political big shot overseas. What were their names again? Dio and Tuna? Rua and Ruka?"

"Leo and Luna," Mina said. "Good kids. They still live in the city, but they've kept out of the public eye for a while now."

'Uh oh, exposition.' Konami thought. 'The readers hate that stuff.'

"Anyway, long story short. Most of the members wound up serving smaller time sentences in exchange for a testimony against their leader. Thanks to their help, Devack's serving multiple life sentences with no chance of parole."

"And yet, he's still allowed to Duel." Konami mumbled, folding his arms anxiously.

"It's a small price to pay, in order to keep him off the streets." Mina replied.

Carly gulped. "So uh, this Devack guy... you're thinking _he's_ the one responsible for all this?"

"It's the only thing that fits." Mina said. "Of course, we haven't been able to prove anything since there's nothing on tape... but he must know at least _something_."

"Well then, you won't mind if we had a little chat with him then!" Carly chirped. "You know, as journalists? And by we, I of course mean you, Konami."

"As if I expected anything else," he muttered in response.

"I'll allow it, but anything said will have to be monitored," Mina replied. "And there'll be a security guard on standby, just in case anything happens. You're a civilian. We can't allow you to take any unnecessary risks."

"Wow, a Sector Security officer with some common sense." Konami said. He thumped his chest twice and used his hand to make a symbol. "Respect."

Mina looked at him strangely.

"Alright, are you ready for this Konami? It's time to tackle your second Sacred Beast and show the world that the first time wasn't a fluke!" Carly said.

Konami rolled his eyes at her and checked his Deck holster. Just as he'd expected, the fifty cards of Starter Deck: Kaiba stared back at him.

 _'Slifer help me,'_ he thought, clipping the holster back shut before following Mina down the hall. _'Against Hamon or Raviel... I'll sure as Shadow Realm need it.'_

As they continued down the hall, Konami noted Mina's gaze on him. Being the type of person he was, he just couldn't take it lying down. "What is it?" he asked her, causing her to flinch at being called out. He smirked at her reaction.

"Nothing, it's just..." Mina trailed off for a moment before continuing. "This is twice now that we've encountered each other, and I find myself wondering who you are. Yesterday you were a famous supermodel's stand-in manager, and now, you're helping a journalist get a story. Just who are you?"

"A hero for fun," Konami said. "...Is what I want to say, but then everyone would get mad at me for ripping off Saitama."

Again, Mina looked at him strangely. Konami sighed.

"Look," he said, ruffling the back of his head with his free hand. "You better count yourself lucky, because I'm about to be serious with you, and I don't do that with just anybody. To be honest, I'm little more than a cameo character. I've got all these games about me, all these stories, and yet, when it comes to the actual show I've only appeared once - decked out in a color I don't even like! At least my game's _side characters_ get to appear as themselves in Cardfight! Vanguard! The episode I showed up in wasn't even canon! It was just some promotional special for ZEXAL, a show that couldn't even come up with an original name for their protagonist!" he raised his fist to the sky. "We had a Yuma first, you hear me TV Tokyo?! _We had Yuma first!_ "

"Are... Are you ranting?" Mina asked.

"What?" Konami gasped. "Of all the - I am _not_ ranting!" he looked up at his paragraph. "Okay, maybe a little. But I _earned_ this! Until they took away my game's 3D animations and voice acting, Tag Force was the stuff of legends!"

"I don't understand what you're saying, but we're here." Mina told him.

Konami turned away from her to stare at the small, worn-out cell door guarded by a single bulky looking figure. There was a lone man sitting on the iron bed inside.

He was bald.

"So this is him then?" asked Konami, staring at the man cautiously. "Devack."

The bald man raised his head and grinned.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise?" the man asked. "It isn't often I have a visitor."

"Yeesh," Carly whispered to Konami. "I just met him and I'm already creeped out! I think I really _will_ leave this up to you."

Konami rolled his eyes at her, but glanced at Mina quietly. "So, how's this work? Do I go in? Does he come out?"

"Trudge!" Mina shouted in reply, prompting the bulky-looking guard to flinch.

"Y-Yes Mina?!" he asked hurriedly, snapping to attention with a blush on his face.

"Open the door. Our visitors are going inside."

"What?" Trudge said. "But they're civilians! It'll be dangerous-"

"It's just me." Konami interrupted. "Carly's made it clear that she has no intention of going inside."

"Y-Yeah!" Carly agreed. "I'll be cheering you on from out here, Konami!"

Trudge glowered at them both. "That still doesn't make it okay! Don't you know who this man is? I can't let two civvies be left alone with some no-good criminal-"

"Officer Trudge, this is an order from your superior." Mina told him. "Let him inside."

"Aw, don't beat him up too much for it Blueberry," Konami interrupted. "It's not his fault that he was born with common sense. Really, you should be praising him! His concern for the safety and wellbeing of New Domino's populace is... _noteworthy_."

"Well, if you say so..." Mina sighed. She turned to Trudge. "Officer, the door?"

"Ngh... well, if it's a direct order then I guess I can't refuse," Trudge muttered. He glanced between Devack and Konami warily. "Just, be careful in there, alright kid?"

He used his keys and pulled the cell gate open. Konami spared him a single glance before striding inside.

"I'll try pops," he said on the way in. "But I can't be held accountable for the other guy."

The gate slammed shut behind him, leaving him alone with the former cult leader. The two stared at each other quietly for several seconds.

"So... do I talk first? You talk first?" Konami asked. "I don't know how this is supposed to go. It's my first interrogation."

Devack's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Is that so? And what, pray tell, have the nice inspector and her hulking behemoth of a man sent you to uncover?"

"Well, between you and me, _they_ haven't sent me to do anything." Konami whispered. "I'm just here on the behalf of a friend. See the swirly-eyed, fish-looking woman watching us through the bars? She's a journalist, and she's gotten it in her head that you're running around with a powerful card."

"Oh?" Devack inquired a raise of his brow. "And what kind of card does the kind journalist believe I have?"

"Well sunshine head, that's what I'm here to find out." Konami replied. He seated himself on the iron bed across from Devack's. "Now, you don't really strike me as the type who'd explain his evil plan in one go, so I'm gonna have to go about this differently. So, Devack... tell me. Which do you like more? Yellow, or blue?"

The random question threw even the burly Devack off-guard, for he blinked in surprise for several seconds before gathering his wits. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked, not quite sure he heard correctly.

"Yellow or blue?" Konami asked. "I'm more of a red kind of guy myself, but I have a feeling you already caught that."

"...Blue." Devack grunted finally. "Though I don't see what that has to do with anything-"

"-Spell cards or monsters?" interrupted Konami. "I'd ask about Traps, but I'm pretty sure you don't know how to use 'em."

Devack grinned. "Don't I though? _You're_ here, after all."

Konami's eyes widened. "Oh, you! You knew I was coming, didn't you?"

"But of course. The new warden isn't as good as she thinks at keeping things secret. By the time her call with your journalist friend had concluded, the entire prison knew to expect... _visitors_."

"Then why the secrecy? You could have said as much before I came in here."

"Ah," Devack replied. "But then I'd have to explain myself to the warden and her bulldog, wouldn't I?"

"And what makes you think you won't have to now that they-" Konami trailed off, realizing that _they_ hadn't done anything. In begged investigation, so he slowly turned around to face the bars... only to find nothing but black space behind him.

"Wha-?"

"I suppose your next question would have been... oh, I don't know, _Lightning or Phantasms?_ " Devack asked. "I'll give you one guess."

"Oh, you did not just try to outplay the player...!" Konami breathed. "You wanna play this game, fine! Endless black, lots of space? We're not in space, are we? Because that'd be pretty stupid."

Devack smirked. "Still making jokes? I assure you that you won't be for long. You are in the Shadow Realm, a place where lost souls are left to dwell for eternity! You had better make yourself comfortable, because you're going to be here for a while!"

Konami repositioned himself so that he was lying down on the bed.

"W-What?!" Devack sputtered.

"What?" Konami asked. "You told me to make myself comfortable."

Devack grimaced in disgust. "You... You think this is a game?!"

Konami smirked. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

With an outraged growl, Devack swung his arm to the side and summoned a Duel Disk. "Enough of this! I'l deal with you like I dealt with the others!"

"With a Duel?" Konami guessed.

"With a Duel!" Devack shouted. He clenched his free hand and smirked. "Feel free to think of it as a parting gift from the world of the living. Because once we're done here, you won't be!"

He laughed maniacally, and Konami scowled.

"We'll see about that," he muttered in reply. He rose from the bed, and their Duel Disks sprung to life.

It seemed their conversation was over. It was time to Duel!

 **"DUEL!"**

The two drew their starting hands and glared at each other fiercely. Konami knew he'd have to tread carefully. He had yet to identify which Sacred Beast Devack carried. There was only the knowledge that he had one, somehow. How else would the man invoke the power of a Shadow Game?

"My move," Devack said, returning Konami's focus to the matter at hand. "Draw!"

After pulling a card from the top of his deck, Devack looked at his hand and grinned.

 **TURN ONE - DEVACK - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"I'll begin our fateful Duel by activating the Spell _Veil of Darkness_ ," Devack began. "It won't have any effect this Turn, so I'll explain it on my next. Now that I've played however, I think it's time to breathe some life into the field. I'll do that by summoning this, my _Archfiend Soldier_ in Attack Mode!"

Fire and smoke swept through room, and slowly, a dark and fearsome figure rose from the depths. Wrapped in a dark green and red cape, the figure glared at Konami and raised his blade.

 _Archfiend Soldier - (DARK/Fiend) - LV4 - (1900/1500)_

'A Fiend and a Continuous Spell... he's not giving up anything!' Konami thought.

Devack seemed to realize this as well, because he smirked. "I'll set one card face-down... and end my Turn."

"Then it's my move," Konami countered. He reached for his deck and pulled out the card on top. "Draw!"

 **TURN TWO - KONAMI - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"I summon the _Mystic Clown_ in Attack Position!" declared Konami, placing his drawn card onto his Duel Disk face-up. A large purple creature emerged from the darkness seconds later, and it stared at the Archfiend Soldier with a single, piercing eye.

 _Mystic Clown - (DARK/Fiend) - LV4 - (1500/1000)_

"Ha!" Devack shouted. "A clown for a jester? How quaint! But that monster doesn't have the Attack Points needed to overcome my soldier!"

"With any luck, he won't need it! I'll lay a card face-down, and end my Turn." Konami replied.

Devack grinned. "My move then. Draw!"

 **TURN THREE - DEVACK - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"And now, it's time I activated the effect of my _Veil of Darkness!_ " Devack exclaimed. "Allow me to explain how it works. During my Draw Phase, if I happen to draw a DARK monster, I can reveal it and send it to the Graveyard to draw one more card." Chuckling, he revealed drawn card to be _Phantom Skyblaster_. It was a DARK-type.

Devack drew another card.

"Now then," he said. "Where was I? Oh yes, I believe I was attacking your clown with my Archfiend Soldier!"

The caped crusader's eyes gleamed in the dark, and it began charging the clownish figure under Konami's control. Before it could land a blow however, Konami shot back a response of his own.

"Not so fast, Devack!" he shouted. "I have a Trap! _Ultimate Offering!_ "

The face-down card swiveled upward to reveal itself, and Konami clenched his fist eagerly. "With this card, I'm able to pay five hundred Life Points to Normal Summon or Set one extra monster! The best part is... I don't have to summon them on my Turn! So now, I'll pay my five hundred Life Points, and Tribute my Mystic Clown to summon... _Swordstalker!_ "

Evil energy erupted from beneath the Mystic Clown's form, and the Archfiend Soldier reeled back as a far more powerful monster emerged. It held a curved gold blade between its bulking purple fists, and wore a tattered red cape that made the Archfiend Soldier's look meek.

 _Swordstalker - (DARK/Warrior) - LV6 - (2000/1600)_

"Tch, then it seems I won't be attacking after all." Devack mused. "However... I will be summoning another monster! Behold, the mighty _Doomcaliber Knight_ in Attack Mode!"

A horrendous neigh filled the air, and the sound of galloping echoed across the darkened plain. Seconds later, an undead knight rolled in atop an evil steed, wielding a silver blade and skull-faced shield.

 _Doomcaliber Knight - (DARK/Fiend) - LV4 - (1900/1800)_

"And I'll follow that move... with the activation of another Spell!" he continued. " _Stumbling!_ It'll keep any monsters you summon from being placed in Attack Position, at least during the Turn they're placed on the field."

"So in other words... you're adding the rule of summoning sickness!" breathed Konami.

"Whatever you say," Devack chuckled. "I... end my Turn."

"My Turn then. Draw!" Konami shouted, pulling a card from the top of his deck.

 **TURN FOUR - KONAMI - FIVE CARDS IN HAND - 3500 LP**

"So any monster I summon will be changed to Defense Position, eh?" he inquired. "In that case... I'll summon _Uraby!_ "

The small brown dinosaur answered his call, and it crouched down low to defend itself.

 _Uraby - (EARTH/Dinosaur) - LV4 - (1500/800)_

"But don't think I've forgotten about my Trap either!" Konami shouted. "I'll pay another five hundred Life Points... and trade Uraby in for the defensive _Gyakutenno Megami!_ "

A golden light flooded the Shadow Realm at his words, and the brown dinosaur in wake of a beautiful green-haired woman. She pressed her hands together softly, generating a golden shield that protected her from any and all harm.

So long as said harm didn't have more than two thousand Attack Points, at least.

 _Gyakuteno Megami - (LIGHT?Fairy) - LV6 - (1800/2000)_

"And now," said Konami. "I'll attack your Doomcaliber Knight with my Swordstalker!"

The vengeful warrior howled and in doing so, imbued its golden sword with the power of darkness. It swung the powered blade down across the ground, and a fierce wave of energy released itself from the sword's tip.

Unfortunately, it didn't even travel an inch before Devack barked out a response.

"I activate my Trap card, _Negate Attack!_ " he roared, revealing the face-down he'd placed during his first Turn. "It'll halt your Swordstalker's wave, and end the Battle Phase!"

"Tsk...! Guess I was wrong then, you really _can_ use Traps!" Konami grunted.

"Yes," Devack chuckled, clenching his fist powerfully. "And that's not all I can do. You can see it, no? The status of my field. The time of darkness grows near. Soon, the great beast that saved me shall be reborn into this world - and it shall take you as a mortal sacrifice!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just take your Turn already, would you?" Konami asked.

Devack smirked. "Don't mind..." he muttered, reaching for a card. "...If I do!"

He drew.

 **TURN FIVE - DEVACK - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"And look! I drew another DARK monster." He mused, revealing the _Brain Crusher_ in his hand. "You know what that means. My Veil of Darkness will take it as sacrifice... and let me draw another card in its stead!"

He ripped another card from the top of his deck and grinned.

"Just the card I was hoping for. I sacrifice your Ultimate Offering Trap... to Special Summon _Trap Eater_!" Devack howled, catching Konami by surprise.

"What?!" Konami gasped, watching as his first defense vanished in the blink of an eye. "But how's that possible?!"

"It's in the name, is it not?" Devack grinned. "Trap Eater. By sending one face-up Trap my opponent controls to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my hand. Since your Ultimate Offering was a Trap card... well, you understand, don't you?"

A small monster whose mouth was filled with rows and rows of teeth drooled as it materialized from the darkness. Its wide and beady eyes swiveled about wildly as it took form beside Devack's other two monsters, but through it all - one fact remained.

It was a Fiend.

 _Trap Eater - (DARK/Fiend) - LV4 - (1900/1600)_

'Darn, that's three!' Konami thought. 'So is it Raviel he has after all?!'

Devack seemed to notice Konami's anxiety, as his smile had grown to split his face. "Wondering if I'll summon up a monster from your nightmares, boy?" he asked. "Perhaps, but for now I have another surprise for you. Another Spell - _Messenger of Peace!_ It'll stop any monster with more than fifteen hundred Attack Points from starting a fight!'

"What you mean to say is that it's another Continuous Spell card!" Konami grunted. 'Which isn't good,' he thought. 'Is he trying to throw me off? Is it Hamon instead of Raviel? No, it's a ploy! Or maybe... he has both of them? I can't figure it out, and it's driving me insane!'

"I think that'll do." Devack chukled. "I end my Turn."

'He didn't have either...? In that case, this is my chance!' Konami thought. He reeled back, and drew a card.

 **TURN SIX - KONAMI - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 3000 LP**

His eyes gleamed upon seeing his drawn card. "If it is Raviel you have in that deck of yours, you're about to be sent right back to the drawing board! I activate the Spell card _Dark Hole!_ It'll destroy any and all monsters on the field, meaning that your Fiends are toast!"

"Yes," Devack agreed, watching as the swirling storm descended upon the field. "But don't forget that your monsters will be victims to its power as well! With this, we'll both be sent back to zero. The only difference... is that I still have my Spells!"

Konami narrowed his eyes, "Maybe so, but I have this - _Monster Reborn!_ With it, I can revive my Swordstalker. And that's not all, I also have another I'm summoning! _La Jinn, The Mystical Genie of the Lamp!_ "

Two lights burst from the depths of the Shadow Realm, announcing the arrival of Konami's trusted monsters.

 _La Jinn, The Mystical Genie of the Lamp - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1800/1000)_

 _Swordstalker - (DARK/Warrior) - LV6 - (2000/1500)_

"You may have two monsters, but you won't be able to attack with them!" Devack said. "Not only does my Messenger of Peace stop their attempts, but Stumbling ensures they will both fall ill with this 'summoning sickness' you spoke of!"

"Yes, it's a rather unfortunate illness. Common symptoms include nausea, inability to stand, the sensation of being tapped, and of course, a distaste for large, shiny objects. Like your head." Konami smirked.

"I've heard enough bald jokes, and many of them were far better than yours!" roared Devack. "It's my Turn! Draw!" He ripped a card from the top of his deck, and this time, it glowed.

 **TURN SEVEN - DEVACK - TWO CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

He grinned, and it wasn't his usual grin either. It was a fiendish grin, one that let Konami know what was coming.

'Hamon,' he thought. 'He just drew it.'

As the three Spells Devack placed over the course of the Duel vanished, Konami knew he was right. He was right, and the Duel was about to take a turn for the worst.


	4. Chapter 4

_Last save..._

 _'Hamon,' Konami thought. 'He just drew it.'_

 _As the three Spells Devack placed over the course of the Duel vanished, Konami knew he was right. He was right, and the Duel was about to take a turn for the worst._

* * *

 _ **Chapter Four - That Man's Name Is...**_

* * *

The golden god hissed softly, revealing its rather unholy form to the two Duelists present.

 _Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder - (LIGHT/Thunder) - LV10 - (4000/4000)_

"The Lord of Striking Thunder..." Konami breathed. "So _that's_ the one you were hiding beneath that bald cap of yours!"

Devack grinned. "That's right. And now that I've given him form, Hamon shall reign destruction upon this field, and you along with it!" He threw his hand forward in a desperate show of power. "Go, Hamon! Destroy his Swordstalker with your _Cerulean Skyfire!_ "

The behemoth roared angrily at Devack's words, prompting a series of destructive bolts to fall from the black skies above. They crashed into the dark warrior's body easily enough, and Swordstalker bellowed in pain as it felt its body wither away to nothing. A second later it was gone, reduced to naught but ash in the wake of Hamon's awesome power.

But Konami knew the worst was yet to come.

"Now Hamon," breathed Devack. "Use your effect to smite the fool who'd dare oppose your might! _Lost Thunder!_ "

Konami braced himself. It was something he'd grown used to doing whenever cards like Hamon were involved. After all, when it came to Shadow Games, a thousand points of Piercing Damage was -

" _Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!"_ he cried, his body struck down by a fierce blow of lightning.

 **KONAMI - THE HUMAN LIGHTNING ROD**

"That'll do." Devack chuckled, lowering his stance and Duel Disk as his Turn came to a close.

Konami took a moment. He took two. Lightning hurt after all, even when it came from a glorified chicken made for a children's card game. After a moment however, his status as a Player Avatar kicked in, and he was ready to throw down once more.

"That... actually kinda hurt." He muttered.

"Are you going to cry?" Devack asked in reply. "Do I need to call your parents?"

Konami swept his hand aside angrily. "I don't _have_ parents, you Slifer Slackin' Hamon Hangin' chromedome! And I'll make you pay for insinuating otherwise! My Turn... Draw!"

 **TURN EIGHT - KONAMI - TWO CARDS IN HAND - 2000 LP**

"I'll summon the _Ogre of the Black Shadow_ in Defense Position..." Konami muttered. "And with that, end my Turn."

 _Ogre of the Black Shadow - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1400)_

Devack laughed as the large, smoke-covered figure took to the field in a crouched form. "Have you figured it out yet?" he asked Konami. "Defense Position won't help you anymore! My Hamon will tear through your monster's defenses, and still inflict a thousand damage to your Life Points!"

"Maybe," he huffed. "Still, giving up a thousand points is better than letting you end the Duel in one go!"

"We'll see if you still feel the same after tasting another wave of Hamon's lightning!" Devack laughed. He drew a card.

 **TURN NINE - DEVACK - TWO CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

"Hamon," he roared once again. "This time, wipe out his genie!"

The Lord of Striking Thunder screeched, and yet again released a wave of its destructive bolts. The energy coursed through the Shadow Realm easily, and in seconds, La Jinn was no more. For a second time a following stream of electricity coursed through Konami's body, and he fell to all fours as he attempted to endure its hallowing pain.

 **KONAMI - LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE**

Devack laughed. "How is it? The fear? The _pain?_ Tell me boy, is your life flashing through your eyes?!"

"Ha... Haa...!" Konami hissed. Smoke rose from his body, remnants of the 53, 540 degree Fahrenheit temperatures he'd just endured. He felt as though he couldn't move. Paralysis, perhaps? He didn't know. What he did know however, was that if he didn't do something quick, everything was going to end. The only problem was...

'I can't think of a way out,' he thought. ' _I_ _can't think of a way out!_ As much as I hate to say it... this might be too much for me!' Konami glanced at the Sacred Beast glowering at him from above. 'Is this it then? Is this how my savefile ends...? Beaten and bruised, reduced to nothing more than chicken feed in a world few can see?'

No.

Konami dug deep; deeper than he had in a while. It was there that he found it - a glimmer of hope.

Slowly, steadily, he climbed back to his feet. Smoke continued to rise from his body all the while, and the pain was unlike anything he'd felt since moving to New Domino. Even so, he stood.

"Oh?" Devack asked. "So you still have some fight left in you after all?"

"Yeah," replied Konami. "Just enough to draw one more card. If I can't beat Hamon on my next Turn... well, we both know that it'll be game over for me."

Devack grinned. "That's right. So go on, boy. Make your move."

"Here goes nothing," he mumbled quietly. "... _Draw_."

It was said quietly, but contained more willpower than anything previously spoken.

 **TURN TEN - KONAMI - TWO CARDS IN HAND - 1000 LP**

He stared at the drawn card cradled between his fingertips. Its artwork stared back. For a moment, all was silent. Then, just as Devack opened his mouth to speak, Konami laughed.

It started small and weak, but with time it grew. It grew and grew, until it was loud and rambunctious, echoing across the landscape into the deepest and darkest corners of the Shadow Realm itself. Devack took a step back in surprise. The sudden change in attitude was completely unexpected for him, and with good reason.

Konami had been on the verge of losing! What could have possibly been so funny that he felt the need to laugh?!

"Sorry," Konami said, attempting to explain. "It's just... back at Duel Academy, one of our most important classes was about making our comebacks as dramatic as possible. The thing is... with a card like this, that's kind of hard to do."

He revealed the drawn card, and Devack's eyes boggled.

It was _Fissure_.

"No - it can't be!" Devack roared, unwilling to believe that such a card existed in the deck of his opponent. "There's no way you have such a weak and old-fashioned card!"

"Oh, but there is." said Konami, strength returning to his figure as he spoke. "And the proof is right here! _Fissure_ , do your thing! Reveal yourself, and destroy the weakest monster Devack controls!"

He slammed the age-old Spell upon his Duel Disk, and watched as the Shadow Realm itself ruptured and broke. Light shone in from the world they'd left behind, and with it, a giant hand emerged - reaching down to grab the oversized chicken that was Hamon.

"No, No!" Devack repeated over and over. His fists were clenched tighter than ever before, damaging the cards he still held in his hands. "This can't be happening! I can't allow it! I won't!"

Hamon squawked in agreement, but nothing could be done. The giant hand squeezed the might out of the Sacred Beast, and with one final roar, Hamon shattered, defeated by the same type of card that gave it life.

Its remains sprinkled across the field softly, but they too, did not last. With Hamon defeated the very power of the Shadow Game itself was lost. The black plains slowly dissipated, and the world returned to its natural color. Only Devack's Duel Disk remained - a reminder of the fact that the Duel, though drained, was not yet complete.

There was just one problem, Konami realized while glancing at his surroundings.

They weren't in Devack's cell anymore.

Indeed, the magic of the Shadow Game had transported them outside; an area that had more than enough room to host both the Duelists _and_ their monsters.

Of course, their arrival had not gone unnoticed.

"Konami!" Carly shouted, the relief clear in her voice. "You're alive!"

Trudge and Mina were also present it seemed, along with many other officers of Sector Security.

"Alright, that's enough!" Trudge roared. "This magic show is over! Devack, you're coming with me!"

" _No!_ " Konami said fiercely, surprising everyone present. "He can go with you when it's over. Right now however, our Duel still needs to be concluded!"

"Are you insane?" Trudge asked. "You just disappeared in front of everyone with a convicted felon! I have half a mind to bring you in too for questioning!"

"I don't have time to deal with your common sense, Trudge!" Konami barked. "I had to get struck by lightning _twice_ to make this far! I'm not backing down now!" He turned back to the surprisingly quiet Devack, and continued his Turn. "I'll change my Ogre of the Black Shadow to Attack Position, and then... I'll follow that move up by summoning _Rogue Doll_ in Attack Mode!"

A flash of light accompanied the Ogre's climb to its feet, and suddenly, a floating doll sat on the field where before there were none.

 _Rogue Doll - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1600/1000)_

"Now my monsters, it's time we got a little payback for all the pain this guy's put us through! Let's hit him directly with a _Two-Pronged Attack!_ "

The two monsters made their agreement known, and Devack howled in pain as he suddenly found himself punched and flung by their respective abilities. He hit the dirt with a loud thud, but didn't stay down for long. He was far too big and burly for a couple of light blows to keep him down, and if Konami could survive being struck by lightning, then he was determined to prove that he could make it through worse!

"You'll have to do better than that, boy!" he hissed, climbing back to his feet. "You may have beaten Hamon, but you won't beat me!"

"Wait, what?" Carly asked. "Hamon's one of the Sacred Beasts, isn't it? Don't tell me that we missed all the good stuff?!"

"Sorry Carly, but that's exactly what he's saying." Konami replied. He clenched his empty fists. "My hand's all used up, so I guess that makes it your move, Devack."

"Humph," the cultist retorted. "You can rest assured that I'll make it the last! _Draw!_ "

He violently ripped a card from his deck and glared at Konami's monsters.

 **TURN ELEVEN - DEVACK - THREE CARDS IN HAND - 1200 LP**

"I summon _Dark Jeroid_ in Attack Mode!" he shouted, placing a card on his Duel Disk that prompted a four-legged mechanical looking _thing_ to materialize.

 _Dark Jeroid - (DARK/Fiend) - LV4 - (1200/1500)_

"Next, I'll be making use of his ability!" Devack continued. "When it's summoned, I can decrease one face-up monster's Attack by eight hundred points. With this, your Rogue Doll is finished!"

Konami glanced at his withering doll with a scowl, understanding what Devack intended.

"Dark Jeroid, destroy that plaything!" the man roared a moment later, and it was done. Dark beams shot from the shoulder-blades the mechanized monstrosity possessed, and the possessed doll fell to the ground in pieces.

"Don't think for a second that you'll be able to beat me..." Konami countered, "with such weak attacks! My Turn, Draw!"

 **TURN TWELVE - KONAMI - ONE CARD IN HAND - 600 LP**

"I summon _Dark Assailant_ in Attack Position!" Konami declared. A blue-skinned assassin appeared on the field seconds later, armed with the Psycho Sword that granted him rule over the bad lands.

 _Dark Assailant - (DARK/Zombie) - LV4 - (1200/1200)_

"What?" breathed Devack. "No!"

"It's time for a sacrifice! Ogre, at least take that Dark Jeroid with you! Attack!" roared Konami, flinging his hand forward as he prepared for his final assault. The possessed Beast-Warrior howled in response, and tore clear across the field in a mad dash. Its fist bashed into the Dark Jeroid's center without any hesitation, and in a surprising twist, the thing exploded, enveloping both monsters in a sphere of smoke and ash.

Both Konami and Devack winced due to the proximity of the blast, but before long the field had cleared, and with it, Devack's defenses. Konami clenched his fist.

"Dark Assailant," he began. "Let's finish it! _Direct Attack!_ "

The Psycho Sword-wielding assassin cackled, and traversed the length of the field in an instant. It appeared just beneath Devack a half-second later, arm poised to draw its blade. Devack stared at the figure for but a moment before his mouth opened.

"Nooooooo-" he began, but Konami's command cut through his howl.

" _Sever him!_ " Konami roared, and the Dark Assailant did just that.

With a single cleave of the Psycho Sword, Devack staggered back. Digitized indications of a sword swing hovered across his midsection, and in that moment, a horn blew.

 **KONAMI - 600 LP**

 **DEVACK - 0 LP**

"I... I did it." Konami breathed, letting the tension leave his body at long last. "...I won!"

Those words seemed to be the one thing everyone had been waiting to hear, for not a second after he said it did all hell break loose.

The first thing Konami remembered was slumping over in exhaustion. A second later, Carly tackled him to the floor. Ordinarily, that would have been fine; but Carly hadn't tackled him out of joy or worry for his safety. It had been out of rage.

"I can't believe you beat the second Sacred Beast without recording it! Do you _know_ how hard it's going to be to write an article on it now?!" she hissed, throttling him back and forth with no response.

Sector Security also seemed pretty incensed, but Konami was pretty sure that had more to do with Devack being out of his cell more than anything else.

And speaking of Devack...

"Ugh," the man coughed, falling to the ground as the last of his strength finally left him. Though the monsters had long faded, the last wound he'd taken from them had not. Instead, it seemed as though the fatal wound Konami's Dark Assailant had inflicted was to stay. Because of it, Devack knew he wouldn't be staying in the world of the living.

Konami too, seemed to realize as much, for he pried Carly off in favor of approaching the man warily. The two stared at each other blankly.

"You're disappearing," Konami said finally.

"Of course," replied Devack. "Such is the price... of losing a Shadow Game. Now, the Shadow Realm awaits."

"You're rather calm about this," Konami continued. "Were you expecting this outcome too?"

Devack closed his eyes, and for once, a content expression drifted across his face. "No," he said solemnly. "It was my wish to defeat you here. To pry the soul from your body... and sacrifice it to my Sacred Beast."

"Humph, idiot. Hamon was never meant to be in your hands. Your current condition is the proof of your ignorance."

"Perhaps," Devack said. "But if that is truly the case... then what is to be said of the one who gave it to me?"

Konami raised an eyebrow. "The one who gave it to you? You mean... it didn't just wind up in your hands one day?"

"Of course not," Devack chuckled. "It was given to me... by an off-the-books visitor. It was he who alerted me to your existence... and he who first opened my eyes to the powers of darkness."

"Then he's also the one responsible for dooming you," Konami replied. "Give me a name."

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" Devack asked. "For me to make everything easy for you... to wipe away the mystery that remains."

Konami didn't deny it. In all honesty, he would like that very much. Devack chuckled, even as his body began to disappear from the mortal realm.

"It is a man who claims to know you well," he said, keeping Konami's attention. "A man whose ruthlessness knows no bounds, whose power knows no ends. The one who introduced me to the Beasts... is a man by the name... of _Sayer_."

"Sayer," Konami repeated, tasting the name on his lips. "Never heard of him."

The cultist smiled, "Well, he's heard of you." and with those words, the last of him vanished into the Shadow Realm.

The officers of Sector Security finished their approach seconds later.

"What's going on?! Where's Devack?!" Mina asked frantically.

"Gone." Konami murmured, climbing back to his feet. "And unless he's a semi-relevant character, we won't be hearing from him again."

"No... my first day on the job and I've already lost an inmate," Mina whispered. "Director Goodwin's going to kill me...!"

"Hey!" Konami barked. "No K-wording! This is a kid's fic."

"This is your fault!" Trudge grumbled, grabbing Konami by the collar. "If you had just let me interfere when I wanted to, Devack wouldn't have gotten away!"

Konami scowled. "That's the thing. He didn't get away. He just disappeared. His soul belongs to the Shadow Realm now. Unless someone fishes him out, he'll be stuck there for good. It's a far worse prison than any isolated cell you and your buddies can stick him in."

"Trudge, let him go." Mina said finally. "It isn't his fault. It was _my_ idea to let them see Devack in the first place. My idea, my responsibility."

"But Mina-!" Trudge said.

"No buts, Officer." replied Mina. "They were civvies. We didn't have any business leaving them anywhere alone with a criminal like Devack. The only silver lining here is that it seems like those who dueled him are finally starting to recover from their injuries."

'No doubt a consequence of the Shadow Game's creator being defeated,' Konami thought. "So, what happens now?" he asked.

Trudge grunted as he released his hold on him. "Now? Now you get hurry up and get outta here before I change my mind about letting you leave!"

"Hold on," Mina interrupted again. "Before all that, I'll need to get a statement. And if what you said is true about Devack and this 'Shadow Realm' place... then I'll need you to explain as much to the Director."

"Director? You don't mean Director Goodwin?!" Carly gasped.

Mina nodded. "The very same. He might not believe any of this if it came from me, but... if the one involved in the situation were to explain..."

"Konami, we have to do this! Don't you understand? This is my chance to get an exclusive with the Director! We can't turn away from this!" Carly whispered.

Mina heard her however, and was quick to put a stop to any plans Carly was making. "Actually, it's Konami alone who will be accompanying me to the Director's office. We were with you the entire time, Carly. There's no need for you to make a statement."

"W-What?!"

"Alright, you heard her!" Trudge said, stepping forward to escort Carly off the premises. "Let's get going! Civvies don't need to be at the Facility any longer than necessary, _especially_ when they're journalists looking for their next scoop!"

"What?! Wait! No! Konami, help me!" Carly wailed, trying and failing to escape Trudge's grasp. Konami watched him carry her toward the entrance with a blank stare.

"Sorry Carly, not this time." he muttered.

"Shall we go?" Mina asked, opening the door to a sleek black van.

Konami hadn't seen it pull up.

"Yeah," he replied, stepping inside and buckling his seatbelt. "Let's go."

Mina nodded, and together, the two set off to see Goodwin.

The drive was long but pleasant. Mina was a natural with the vehicle even when speeding it seemed, and she handled the turns far better than Carly had earlier that day. There were no needless swerves into other lanes, and more importantly, no bumps. Mina, it appeared, knew to drive around them, something that only increased her level of respect in Konami's eyes.

"So," he asked after he'd finally settled in. "What's Director Goodwin like, anyway? Is there anything I should know about him?"

"Director Goodwin is a serious man. I like to think that he'd be a bit more receptive to serious people."

"Well then," Konami said lightly, "it's a good thing I'm the most serious person you know."

Mina shot him a look. You know the one. _That_ look.

"What?" asked Konami. "I can be serious. You should've seen me Duel against Devack! It was super-serious, and totally awesome!"

"I'm sure it was," Mina replied. "I just wish it didn't cost me an inmate."

"Hey, it'll be fine. I'll explain things to Director Goodwin. You know, make sure he knows it wasn't your fault." Konami said. "You did everything you were supposed to."

"Yeah..." Mina agreed, "I just hope the Director feels it was enough."

Their conversation ended then, and it was a good thing it did because the Sector Security Headquarters was right in front of them.

They had arrived.

After parking the car, Mina accompanied Konami into the building and up the elevator. It wasn't until they'd reached Director Goodwin's office that she spoke again, and even then, her words were crisp and short.

"Wait here."

"Like, right here?" he asked, pointing to the exact spot in which he stood. "Not a foot to the left, a foot to the right? What if I need to rest my back a little? Can I lean against the wall? What if I decide to sit on the floor? Oh, or lean against the wall _while_ sitting on the floor? That's always a fun one-" he caught Mina shooting him a dry expression. "Yeah okay, shutting up now."

"Thank you," Mina muttered, and she vanished inside the office. Several seconds passed before she poked her head back out the door. "Director Goodwin will see you now."

"About time," Konami grunted. "I've been waiting for like, _hours_."

Mina frowned, no doubt because she had told him just minutes ago that he needed to be serious. Nonetheless, she opened the door to grant him entry, and stepped aside so that he could see the Director in person.

When he did, he gasped.

"No," Konami breathed. "It can't be...!"

Mina blinked in surprise. Was there some secret history between the two that she didn't know about?

There wasn't.

"Your first name is _Rex?_ " Konami asked, having caught sight not of Goodwin's appearance, but the plaque seated at the front of the man's desk. It read, and I quote, "Director Rex Goodwin." "That's the coolest name ever! Tell me, tell me. Do you use a Dino deck? Do you? Oh boy Hassleberry would have a _Field Day_ with you."

"It is, isn't it?" The Director said, "I'm afraid I must disappoint you however, for not once in my lifetime have I made use of a Dino deck. After all, _Duel Monsters_ already has a Dinosaur-using Duelist with my name. I believe his initials are R.R.?"

"Rex Raptor sucks and everyone knows it," Konami grunted, waving off the Director's words.

"Perhaps," the older man agreed, "but we digress. Miss Simmington didn't bring you to me so we could discuss old relics of the past. We're here to talk about the problems we face in the present. Mina, leave us."

The woman nodded without comment, and left the room. When she was gone, Konami spoke.

"Alright, what's up?" he asked, speaking calmly despite the Director's rather imposing demeanor.

"Devack," the Director replied. "It is my understanding that he somehow vanished during your Duel?"

"At the conclusion of it, yes. He was taken as a sacrifice," Konami explained, "as a victim of his own scheme. Using the power of a Sacred Beast, he called forth the darkness to partake in a Shadow Game. He lost... and now he must face the penalty of his actions."

"A Sacred Beast you say," the Director hummed. "Then another has appeared, after all?"

"You know of them?"

"Though I pride myself a busy man, I _do_ like to stay on top of the news," said the Director. "I know all about Uria's little lightshow downtown, and of your connection to the events. This is the second time you've stopped their rampage, is it not? It seems New Domino City owes you quite the debt, Mr...?"

"Kodo," Konami said. "Konami Kodo. I'll take my thanks in Depii, if you don't mind."

"Oh I'd oblige you, Mr. Kodo, but I fear the citizens of New Domino wouldn't take kindly to paying an additional tax to fund your... _illicit_ activities. Street Dueling is, after all, illegal."

"You gonna charge me?" Konami asked. "Go right ahead. I've got the Princeton Brothers on speed dial. Try anything and they'll be down here faster than you can say, 'Get Your Game On!'"

The Director raised a hand, cutting off Konami's rant before it could _really_ begin. "Charge you?" he asked, as if horrified by the mere thought. "I don't want to charge you, Mr. Kodo. Why, right now, I could absolutely kiss you."

"Please don't." Konami muttered.

The Director Goodwin shook his head before moving to explain. "You've single-handedly eliminated key threats in my city more efficiently than all the forces of my Sector Security combined! That alone earns your merit and respect, but if what you say is true, then not only have these supernatural threats nearly been beaten entirely, but that monster of a man Devack's been dealt with as well. It's a good day for New Domino City as far as I'm concerned. The only thing I can't figure out is what's in it for you? What possible reason could you have for getting involved in this mess?"

Konami blinked. He... honestly hadn't been expecting that question.

"I'm not quite sure," he muttered, surprised at his own response. "After Uria, everything just kind of... happened on its own. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, I guess."

"Nonsense." The Director said. "Let me tell you a secret. In this world, there's no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, Mr. Kodo. And I believe that fate's brought you to me for one too." The Director suddenly intertwined his fingers, giving him an eerily similar appearance to another manipulative figure, one Gendo Ikari.

Konami seriously doubted Goodwin could reach Ikari's levels of bull, however.

"What we have here is an opportunity, my friend." said the Director. "An opportunity to use each other's resources to achieve our goals."

"Our goals?" Konami wondered.

The Director smiled behind his curled fingers. "You don't strike me as the type of man who likes to leave things half-finished. You've already taken out two of these Sacred Beasts. I suppose you'll be gunning for the third, as well?"

"Of course. Raviel is perhaps the dangerous of the three Sacred Beasts," replied Konami. "If I leave things be, there's no telling what kind of harm it could do."

"Yes... and it just so happens that I'm in need of a strong and powerful Duelist in an upcoming fundraiser tournament of mine. Ordinarily I'd just use Jack, but ever since his loss at the Fortune Cup to that ex-con Yusei he's been a little... hard to reach." He made to glare at the door through which Mina left, but returned his attention to Konami quickly enugh. "You see, there will be some people competing that I simply cannot let win. The prize is something I'd like to keep out of the wrong hands you see, and if my dear friends at the Arcadia Movement get their hands on it, I fear that this city will be heading straight into an unmitigated disaster!"

"And? What's this have to do with me?" Konami asked, though he already knew.

The Director rose from his seat and smiled. "Why, is it not obvious, Mr. Kodo? I try to be humble about it, but simply put, the tournaments I put together here in New Domino City simply cannot be beat. From the annual Fortune Cup to the World Grand Prix I have planned for next year, there's no better place to show off your skill. Now, if what I hear about these Sacred Beasts is true, they've all been seeking to show their strut. Just think of the little girl with Uria obliterating her neighborly street Duelists, or of Devack ruling his fellow inmates! These Sacred Beasts infuse their wielders with the pride of a king... and from what I've seen from the reports, the skill to match."

Konami's lips twitched. "You think Raviel's owner is going to enter the Tournament. You think they're going to try and win it all."

"Wouldn't you?" the Director asked. "My Tag Force Tournament is going to be the pinnacle of this year's entertainment! Not only does it have all the buzz of the Fortune Cup, but it's open to any and all entrants, meaning three times the Duelists, and who knows _how_ many more awe-stopping, jaw-dropping Duels. It's the only place to be."

'Except at home, reading the next chapter of Learning to Shine.' Konami thought. 'Update Hiyuusha, update!' He coughed, and turned his attention back to Director Goodwin. "This 'prize' you're worried about. What is it?"

Director Goodwin seemed to have been waiting for that question, for he grinned when Konami asked it. Returning to his desk, the man flipped a hidden switch that released a lock buried beneath the office floor. A slow hum followed his action, and slowly, a small, cylindrical tube rose from the center of the floor. It wasn't the tube that was important however, but rather, what was inside it.

"A card," Konami sighed, shaking his head softly. "Of course it's a card."

"Ah, but not just any card." Director Goodwin explained, "What I have here... is a _Plot Card_."

Konami blinked. He read the sentence above this one, and then blinked again. "I'm sorry," he apologized, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think I miheard you. A _what_ card?"

"Plot Card," the Director repeated. "There is but one in this world, and I had to go through extraordinary lengths to receive it."

"What does it do?" Konami asked, deciding to just go with it.

"Interested?" Director Goodwin asked.

"What Does It Do?" Konami repeated.

"Is it not obvious?" Goodwin asked. "He who wields this card may change the world in whatever way they wish. They can make themselves a king, a god even, if only they proved themselves worthy of its power."

'In other words reader,' Konami thought. 'It's a glorified Plot Device. Which begs the question...'

"Why didn't you use it?" he asked the Director. "Surely a guy like you has a few things he'd want to fix with the world."

"Who says I haven't?" the Director asked back. Konami felt a shiver run down his spine. "Alas, an individual may only use its power once. One card. One soul. One wish. I wasted mine, but in doing so, found myself in a position of power that could easily suit my needs."

"You made yourself Director." Konami realized. "You cheated the system... and changed the world."

"Yes," the Director said. "And so you see why it this must not fall into the wrong hands..."

"Then why offer it as a prize at all? Destroy it if it's so dangerous. Bury it! Don't... glorify it and pass it off onto whoever can throw down best at a children's card game!" Konami said. "Use some sense!"

"Oh, but I am. I have thought this through very, very well. I once thought as you did, that this card would be best off destroyed, so that it could never be used against me. But then... I realized there were better ways to make use of it. It's abilities as a wish granter may have been lost to me. But its status as an irresistible prize... was not."

Konami's eyes widened, and he understood. "You're setting a trap. The people you're worried about, you _want_ them to try and take it!"

"Yes. My foes have fought well thus far, but they've stuck to the shadows, beyond my reach. The card's power cannot be used by those unworthy. It will not work for those who steal it through underhanded means. With my Tag Force Tournament, they will be forced to step into the light to prove themselves worthy of its power, and when they do" the Director's eyes gleamed. " _You will end them._ "

Konami paused for a moment. "Now when you say end-"

The chapter ended.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning of the tournament was perhaps one of the busiest in Konami's life. The city of New Domino was bustling more than ever, and with good reason. As Director Goodwin had explained earlier, any and all Duelists were welcome to enter, and that included those from across the pond.

The presence of Satellite inhabitants came as a surprise to many of the high-class citizens in New Domino, but they knew better than to raise a fuss. After all, until the tournament's conclusion they were guests of Director Goodwin himself. It simply wouldn't do for Tops to go against the man who'd given them such a perfect utopia to live in. If he wanted to give the ruffians of Satellite a glimpse of true power, so be it. It wasn't any skin off their back, well... as long as they didn't end up having to pay taxes for their presence, that was.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to be competing in this thing!" Carly breathed as they entered the stadium. "Oh, oh! Do you think Jack will be participating? What about Yusei?!"

"Who cares?" Konami asked. "Remember, we're not here so you can interview people. We have a job of our own to do. Director Goodwin seemed pretty convinced that Raviel's owner would show up at this tournament, so make sure you're keeping an eye out when we're not dueling, alright Carly?" he glanced to his side, only to find that the girl was no longer there. His right eye twitched.

'It hasn't even been five minutes and she's already run off,' he thought. 'Why did I choose her as my partner for this thing again? Oh right. Misty was unavailable, and they're the only people I really know in this city.' Konami sighed. 'Maybe I should've let Alexis come here, after all.'

He proceeded to glance around his surroundings, and found Carly a few minutes later. She was watching what appeared to be a shooting for a live news broadcast on national television. Konami didn't blame her; the reporter's cowgirl outfit was pretty appealing.

"And now, for our exclusive with Director Goodwin himself!" the reporter said, gesturing to her left where the old but powerful man stood. "Tell us Director, what would you say compelled you to organize this event so soon after the Fortune Cup?"

"Necessity," the Director replied. "After the unfortunate conclusion of the Fortune Cup's events, I'm certain that many of your viewers were left with a bad taste in their mouth. I too, was rather disappointed by the whole affair. Between that young man Greiger's demise and Jack's own defeat, I thought it only right that I did something to help lighten the mood of our lovely citizens."

"And speaking of Jack," caught the reporter, "can we be expecting him to show for this wonderful event? Sources say that he despite his loss, he is still in the Dueling game."

"I'm afraid not, Melissa." the Director said sadly. "My men here at the stadium have already completed the tournament layout, and I'm sorry to say that Jack simply wasn't on the list. I myself was hoping he'd see fit to make his comeback here, but I suppose everyone needs a little time off now and then. Fortunately, we still have plenty of powerful young Duelists ready to make their mark here today. Any one of them can achieve victory, and win the prize that I've seen fit to grant."

"Yes, about this prize... rumors say that you'll be granting a single favor to the victor?" Melissa inquired.

The Director chuckled in reply. "You could say that. A wish can be a terrible thing to grant after all, but I'm a man of my word. So long as it's within my power to grant, the victor will have theirs."

'Hmm...' Konami thought, watching over the proceedings quietly. 'So he hasn't told the general public about the Amend Card... Is he waiting to unveil it during the Finals then?'

He wanted to ponder on it more, but Carly's sudden gasp broke his thoughts.

"Look!" she exclaimed, tapping Konami's shoulder excitably as she gazed through the crowd to a familiar face. "It's Misty! Should we go say hello? We should go say hello!"

"Hold it," replied Konami. He took hold of Carly by the collar before she could run off. "Misty's a busy woman. I doubt she has the time to answer your questions."

"But you know her!" Carly whined. "You know I know you know her!"

"And I also know that she didn't pick up when I called her," Konami said. "Now come on, we need to check in. I don't want to get disqualified because you were too busy fan-girling to let the judges know we're here."

"Fine..." Carly whined, letting Konami drag her away, "but I'm getting an interview later!"

"We'll see, Carly." replied Konami. "We'll see."

He pulled her away from the massive crowds, and towards the long table that housed the tournament judges. Many of them seemed to busy entering other contestants, but one was not. It was he who Konami dragged Carly to.

"Name?" the man asked when they arrived.

"Konami," Konami said.

"Hm. Konami, is it?" the man mused. "Ah, yes. Here you are. Mr. Kodo? It says here that you're partnering with a... last minute contestant?"

Konami nodded, and pushed Carly forward lightly. "That's right. This is her here."

"C-Carly Carmine! Ready to Duel!" Carly sputtered, offering the man a firm salute. The man raised a brow at her greeting, and then exchanged a glance with Konami. "I... see. Well, far be for me to judge who you partner with. I'm just here to make sure people follow the rules." He made a quick note on his clipboard before speaking once again. "There we are, all signed in. The intercoms will let you know when you're needed. Is it your desire to be called by name or do you have a team name in mind?"

"Team name? We're allowed one?" Konami inquired. Director Goodwin hadn't let him know about that little fact. If he had, he would have prepared something. As it was...

"Ooh, ooh! I've got one!" Carly said. "Carly and co.!"

"No." Konami drawled. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hmm... it needs to be something powerful. Something that will really hit the people where it hurts." His eyes widened. "Oh... I've got it! But before that... Title time!"

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five - The First Round**_

* * *

" _Spoilers, Pyrrha Dies at the End_?" Carly asked. "What does that even mean?"

"You might not get it," Konami said, "but the readers do. Cry Slifer Slackers, cry. Or don't. Volume Three ended a Shadow Realm of a long time ago, after all."

Carly raised a brow at Konami's strange words, but didn't comment. Someone else however, did.

" _KONAMI KODO?!_ " a female gasped in disbelief, and Konami turned away before rubbing his hands together conspiratorially.

"Alright," he whispered to himself, but really to you, "it's time to introduce some unimportant side characters!" He turned toward the voice, and caught sight of a young lady with purple pigtails glaring at him from afar. He approached her with a smile. "Wisteria, how nice to see you! How long has it been? A year? Two?"

"Does it matter?" The girl huffed. She stared up into his eyes and frowned. "Are you competing?"

"Are you?" Konami inquired. The girl's frown deepened.

"You are, aren't you?" she said with a scowl. " _$#% &!_ And here I thought I actually had a chance."

"Language," Konami chastised, "Children are reading."

Carly interrupted them before Wisteria could reply. "Um... I don't get it, but you seem to know this person?"

"Yeah," Konami said. "Carly, this is Wisteria. She's an old classmate of mine. Wisteria, meet Carly. She's serving as my partner for the duration of this tournament."

"Partner?" Wisteria asked, taking in everything about Carly's appearance at the words. "She looks like someone you just dragged off the streets. She's not going to slow you down?"

"O-Of course not!" Carly sputtered. "I'm a great asset to have, and I'm not sure I like you suggesting otherwise!"

"Oh? My apologies. With a backbone like that, she must be of at least someuse to you." Wisteria commented. "...Whether or not she's strong enough to handle the burden of being your partner is another matter entirely."

"What about you?" Konami asked. "Where's your partner?"

The mention of the word brought a frown to Wisteria's face. "He's... around."

"He?" Konami asked. "You mean you didn't come with Bright? And here I thought you two were attached at the hip after the whole Camula affair."

"She was busy," replied Wisteria. "As class representative of New Domino Duel College, Bright has many responsibilities. Those same responsibilities kept her from being here with me today. Of course, that didn't stop her from trying to make this a learning experience."

"That's Bright for you," Konami chuckled. He took a moment to explain it to you. 'She's another unimportant side character. Read Chapters Forty One through Fifty of _Learning to Duel_ if you want to know.'

"She volunteered another student to be my partner," Wisteria continued. "Ordinarily I'd be fine with whoever, but the person she chose has a skill level that's a little... lacking. No doubt Bright intends for me to tutor him while we're here, but..." she shook her head. "Never mind all that. What convinced you to take part in this? The challenge? The glory? Or perhaps... _the wish?_ "

"It'll certainly be a challenge with the deck I'm using," Konami replied mysteriously, "but if I wanted glory, I'd have stuck to the Pro Leagues."

"The wish, then?"

"Hardly," Konami grunted. He slid a hand into his pocket to try and look cool. "If I want something, I can just ask the author to write it in. No need to waste three chapters Dueling just for a shot at one that probably won't come true."

"What then, if not the glory, the wish, or the challenge?"

Konami took a moment to weigh his options. He could, of course, tell her the truth. It'd earn him another set of eyes and ears during the tournament; and Wisteria was a fellow Duel Academy student. She, more than most, knew the danger the Sacred Beasts posed. On the other hand... she was a game-original character. Involving her more than necessary would cost him, and not in the good way. It was a problem, and he didn't know how to solve it.

Vu-Vision gave the solution. As it had several chapters ago, it assaulted Konami's mind in an instant. The ensuing headache aside, images and thoughts were given form inside his head, and his eyes widened drastically.

'Alice from Chapter One as a _Tagalong Kid?_ Teaming up with the rude card shop clerk from Chapter Two? _Wisteria as a Stalker with a Crush?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ '

"Eh," Konami mumbled as Vu-Vision faded, "I was bored."

Carly sputtered in surprise, "But Konami, what about-"

"-your interviews?" Konami cut her off, "Yeah, okay. I guess that had a small part to do with it too."

"I see," Wisteria said with a soft smile, "I suppose I should have known. You never were one to sit around and do nothing. Even back at the academy, you were always caught up in some nonsense with Jaden and those friends of yours."

"You were a troublemaker?" Carly asked. "Hehe, I can see it."

"I wasn't the one usually making the trouble," Konami grunted in reply. "It was our teacher, Professor Crowler. And after that, the former headmaster Kagemaru."

"Don't forget Sartorius and the Society of Light," Wisteria added. "Or Professor Viper and the Duel Ghouls."

"W-Whoa! You guys have lots of stories to tell, don't you?" Carly asked. "Would you be willing to sit down and tell me some in detail? They might make for great scoops!"

"They would," Konami agreed, "but they're not my stories to tell."

"Aren't they though?" Wisteria asked with a raised brow.

Carly agreed. "If you have a story, you should tell it! The people have a right to know!"

"And I have the right to ignore you," Konami replied. He promptly covered her mouth with his

(…I'm quite sure you're missing something here that you may have placed in the next line because Hot DAMN K-Man just shut her up with a deep and passionate make-out suck face session)

Just Kidding.

"But-!" Konami covered Carly's mouth with his hand, and _nothing else_. _"Mmprhhmgh!"_

Naturally, he couldn't understand a single thing she just said.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Wisteria asked. "She might lick it."

"Maybe," shrugged Konami, "but then she _really_ won't be hearing any of my stories."

 _"Mrghm!"_ Carly mumbled into his hand. Konami chuckled at the noise.

"Nuh uh uh," he told her. "You don't get to speak again until I'm sure you're not gonna keep badgering me for a story. You're getting enough, as is."

 _"Mrghmgh!"_

"What was that?"

 _"Mrghmgh!"_

Konami raised a brow, "I'm sorry. One more time?"

Carly finally grasped his hand and pried it off her face. "I can't _breathe!_ " she gasped, inhaling deeply the second her mouth was free. Konami rolled his eyes at her antics.

"Inhale through the nose, idiot." He told her.

"Don't you 'idiot' me, Konami!" Carly retorted. "How long were you going to cover my mouth?! You could've killed me!"

"Never!" Konami gasped, horrified by Carly's use of the K-word. "Destroy you? Sure. Annihilate you? Maybe. Send you to the Shadow Realm? Possibly. But _kill_ you? I'd never _kill_ you, Carly." he leaned forward to whisper into her ears. "At least, not in _this_ fic. So ixnay on the scoop-ay, capiche?"

Carly went pale and nodded.

"Then it's settled," Konami said with a grin, and all was well.

For now.

Wisteria raised a brow at the two of them. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yeah!" Carly said after a moment. "I was just wondering... what was your reason for entering the tournament? I don't think you've told us yet..."

Konami smiled wryly. "Let me guess. You're planning on making Ritual Summoning mainstream again?"

"Yes, actually." Wisteria said, surprised that he guessed correctly. "The wish Director Goodwin's promised to grant the victor... With it, I could prove that the cards of old aren't as outdated as most might think. Of course, now that I know _you're_ competing any chance of victory is completely out the window, isn't it?"

"Not quite. But even if it was, that doesn't give you the excuse to give up." Konami replied, patting her head as if she were some sort of pet. "Even if you're nothing more than a side character, you're still a talented Duelist. If you dig deep, I'm sure you'll make it to at least the second round."

Wisteria closed her eyes and smiled. "You're right. That last part aside, I'm certain that I can do well if I try."

"Uhm, I hate to intrude upon this moment you're having," Carly said suddenly, "but someone seems to be looking for you." She gestured over Wisteria's shoulder, where a tall, sandy-haired boy was waving wildly. Wisteria's smile faltered at the sight.

"It's my partner, Enzo." She explained when Konami raised a brow. "Remember when I told you Bright volunteered someone to assist me? Well... he's it."

"Hold on," Konami said, "I recognize that goon of yours! It's that moron who attacked into a field full of Traps way back in Chapter One! What'd I call him again?" he stared at the boy's _sandy_ -colored hair. "Right."

"Wisteria," _Enzo_ , not Sandy, said as he approached, "what are you doing? Didn't you hear the intercom? They called us, like, five times already! We need to get going or we'll be disqualified!"

Wisteria blinked in surprise. "What? Already? Well then," she turned back to our heroes and inclined her head. "Konami, I'll speak with you again soon. Carly..." she inclined her head once more. "It was nice to meet you. And, if I could get you to do me a favor..."

She stepped in close to Carly so she could whisper in her ear. "Do your worst. With any luck, you'll drag _him_ down with you."

"Erm... I'm not too sure I should," Carly replied instead, still wary of Konami's _Super-Serious_ Mode.

"Then forget I said anything," Wisteria replied. She nodded to Konami once more, and then followed Enzo toward the judge's table.

"She's... nice?" Carly said once the girl was out of earshot. Konami rolled his eyes at her word.

"Yeah, _now_. You should have seen her in the other fics the author has." Konami murmured. "Throwing people off towers, stepping on her beaten foes... and enjoying it! Maybe this time he'll get it right?" Konami didn't sound too hopeful. "Anyway, we should get going. There are still some other people I want to talk to before our names get called! Like Misty. You like Misty, right?"

"I thought you said she'd be too busy to talk to us?" Carly asked, falling to step alongside him as he began to walk.

"I did, but I changed my mind." Konami said, smirking at the dry look Carly gave him in response. "What," he told her, "like you've never done it before."

Carly sighed. "Point," she said, "but I wish you wouldn't have waited so long to do so. With all these people here it'll be a lot harder to find her now!"

"No it won't," replied Konami. "Misty's a supermodel, remember? All we have to do... is follow the drama."

The sound of horrified gasps and whispers followed Konami's statement. Carly listened to them all, and then glanced to Konami, awestruck.

"How do you _do_ that all the time?" she asked.

"Eh," Konami shrugged, "comes with the experience, I suppose. Now come on, let's see what all the fuss is about."

They made their way toward the growing crowd, and were surprised by what they saw. It was Misty, hand raised in post-slap fashion, glaring at an auburn-haired man dressed in a well-trimmed green suit.

"Well now," the man said with a confident smirk, even as he raised a hand to rub the hand mark now covering his cheek, "is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Misty huffed and lowered her arm. "You are no friend of mine, Sayer! Don't even _think_ of trying to claim otherwise!"

"Alright, alright! What's going on here?!" Officer Trudge said. His presence brought surprise to Konami's eyes.

"Oh, wow." Carly said, giving his thoughts form. "It looks like everyone we know is here, huh Konami? Well, everyone in _this city_ that is."

"Turn down the sass," Konami told her, "I'm trying to hear."

Carly did, but the issue had already been dealt with. Misty and Sayer had gone their separate ways, leaving Konami to wonder what that was all about.

'Ex-boyfriend perhaps?' he wondered, before tossing the idea aside. 'Nah, Misty doesn't strike me as the type. Still, she called him Sayer. There's no way that's a coincidence. Guess Director Goodwin was right when he said Raviel's owner wouldn't be able to resist coming. The only question is if _he's_ the one carrying it, or if he pawned it off on some poor soul. Guess we'll find out soon enough. For now however...' he glanced through the crowd to where Misty was standing. 'It's time to raise some _friendship_ flags-'

" _Spoilers, Pyrrha Dies at the End_ , your Duel is about to begin. Please report to the judge's table for processing. _Spoilers, Pyrrha Dies at the End_ , your Duel is about to begin. Please report to the judge's table for processing..."

There was a loud outcry of boos and wails, and Konami rubbed his hands together happily.

"Perfect," he murmured. "It seems that there are those who watch _RWBY_ among us after all! That being said, couldn't they have waited another five minutes before calling us? I wanted to mingle some more."

"Weren't _you_ the one who said we weren't here to mingle in the first place?!" Carly complained while grabbing his sleeve to guide him to the judges. "Now come on! I don't want to get kicked out of the first round because we took too long to show up!"

It seemed as though she really didn't want to be late. Konami wasn't surprised. It was her Debut Duel, after all.

"Team _Spoilers_ , here to ruin your day." Konami said when they reached the table. "Now, tell me. Who are our opponents? Are they some unimportant game characters no one cares about? Minor characters from the series the readers don't remember? Or is it someone... _new_?"

"It's us!" a short, orange-haired criminal shouted enthusiastically. He pointed to Konami fiercely alongside his smaller, bushy-haired partner. "And let me tell ya, you're gonna regret spoiling the end of Volume Three, pal!"

"Oh, really? And just who are you supposed to be?" Konami asked.

The orange-haired criminal grinned before gesturing to himself. "Me? I'm Crow. From Satellite!"

 **CROW - THE BLACKBIRD**

"He gets a description in bold?!" Konami gasped. "What the Shadow Realm?!"

"What? Satellite?!" Carly asked at the same time.

"That a problem?!" Crow barked in reply. Carly quickly reeled back.

"N-No!" She mumbled hurriedly, shaking her hands to alleviate any anger Crow might have. Konami sighed at the scene, then decided to help her out.

"Forgive my partner," he said. "She doesn't seem to know the meaning of tact. Then again," he continued while stepping forward to offer a hand to the Satellite dweller, "neither do I. I'm Konami. The scared one is Carly."

"Alright," replied Crow. He shook Konami's hand once before letting go. "Nice to meet ya! Rally, say hello."

"Hello." the bushy-haired boy murmured. "I guess you're our opponents."

"You're pretty unlucky to have your first match be against us," Crow continued. "Sorry to have to knock you out of the tournament so soon, but we've got a wish that needs granting, so we can't afford to lose!"

"Yeah," Konami replied, "you and every other Duelist in this tournament. Do me a favor and spare me the sob story until I've finished beating you. It'll make for a more dramatic scene that way."

"Tsk," Crow replied. "The only thing that'll be dramatic are the tears you'll shed once you lose! Come on, Rally. Let's get ready to beat these birdbrains!"

Guiding the younger boy toward their arena, Crow left Konami and Carly to their own devices. Carly watched them leave with a sour expression before turning her gaze to Konami.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked. "Now they're probably mad at us."

Konami's lips twitched upward. "That's the whole point," he told Carly. "The more riled up they are at us, the less focused they'll be on the Duel. Your problem is that you're thinking that the fight doesn't start until we've drawn our cards. In reality... our battles have already begun."

He patted his deck holster after speaking, and quickly reminded himself that he was no longer using the original Starter Deck: Kaiba. Though it had served him surprisingly well in the earlier chapters, Konami knew that its luck would not last in the three round tournament. The Heart of the _Coding_ only took you so far, after all. It was only natural that he'd deigned to _evolve_ it a little bit.

"Alright," he said, shuffling and sliding the deck into his Duel Disk before following after their opponents. "Let's go break some hearts, Carly!"

"Yes!" she replied, and they entered the arena.

What awaited them however... was nothing but chaos. Men and women of all ages booed and hissed as they stepped on stages, leaving Carly to glance about frantically in despair.

"U-Uh oh!" she cried. "I guess our opponents weren't the only ones you upset with that naming stunt of yours!"

"Yeah, yeah, hang on. I'll deal with this." Konami replied, waving off Carly's concerns while stepping into the center of the arena. The boos and jeers died down a little as he made it clear he was about to speak. He coughed once into his hand to clear his throat, and then spoke to the audience directly. "Spoilers," he shouted, making everyone whisper in worry and fear, "Cinder $%&#s Jaune!"

Those watching his Duel gasped and fell silent in shock. Konami took that moment to address you.

"In the fanfiction archives anyway. But in the archive, Jaune $%&#s everyone. He's popular enough to get a harem like that. Wait a minute. Jaune has blonde hair. _Jack_ has blonde hair too! And if I remember correctly... What the $ &# ?! he gets a harem too?!" He slapped himself on the cheek. " _Language!_ "

"That's enough!" Crow shouted, sweeping his hand out and stealing the spotlight. "I don't know what you're going on about, _or_ why you just slapped yourself, but we're here to Duel, not listen to you ramble on and spoil us even more!"

The crowd seemed to agree with him.

"Fine, fine..." Konami sighed, rubbing the slapped cheek as he spoke. "Can we at least play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who goes first?"

Crow nodded, and joined him in the center of the platform. They hid their hands from one another and counted down.

"Rock," Konami began.

"Paper..." Crow followed.

"Scissors...!" they both continued, and they revealed their choices while shouting, "Shoot!"

 **KONAMI - ROCK**

 **CROW - PAPER**

"Slifer Slackin'-" Konami cursed before holding his hand out once more. "Two out of three!"

"No way, pal!" Crow grinned. "Rally and I are gettin' first attack. You better hope you guys prepare yourselves well!"

Grumbling, Konami returned to Carly with a sour expression on his face. She looked even more worried upon seeing it.

"Bad news?" she asked. Konami nodded.

"Of sorts," he said. "I lost Janken, but they're making us go first. That might seem good, but if we don't have a good starting hand to set up the field, Crow's claiming we're finished."

"No pressure then," Carly murmured.

Everyone activated their Duel Disks.

 **"DUEL!"**

"As agreed, I'm going first!" Konami shouted, drawing his starting hand plus one card.

 **TURN ONE - KONAMI - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 4000 LP**

'Not good,' he thought right off the bat. 'These cards aren't too helpful, but...'

"I'll start by activating a Spell card, _Ookazi!_ " he said, revealing the green card in his hand before sliding it into the Graveyard. "With its effect, I can burn away eight hundred of your Life Points at not cost to myself."

"Wha-?" the bushy-haired Rally, who was Crow's partner in case you forgot, gasped in surprise. "Already?!"

"This is what it means to be in the big leagues," Konami said as a raging fire began to fall from the skies. "Welcome... to New Domino City!"

The flames crashed upon Crow and Rally, and the two cried out as the ensuing explosion swept away some of their Life Points. Konami watched to ensure neither had some strange accident, and then continued his move.

"Next, I'll set one card face-down... and end my Turn."

"That makes it my move, then!" Crow said, stepping forward before Rally could. "Draw!"

 **TURN TWO - CROW - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 3200 LP**

"And there's no point getting first attack... if I don't summon a monster to use it! So come on out," Crow shouted, " _Shura the Blue Flame!_ "

Black feathers swept across the burning field at Crow's words, and a tall, humanoid looking bird appeared from their midst.

 _Shura the Blue Flame - (DARK/Winged Beast) - LV4 - (1800/1200)_

"That monster's a Blackwing!" Carly gasped. "They carry some of the fastest engines in the game right now!"

"Then I guess this doesn't bode well." Konami murmured.

"You're darn right it doesnt, 'cause it's time to battle! Yeah!" shouted Crow. He swung his hand forward to declare an attack. "Take this! Shura, direct attack!"

The black-winged birdian cawed obediently, and took off at a blazing speed Konami could scarcely follow. Shura floated high above the clouds for but a single instant before diving down, and Konami staggered backward as the monster slammed its clawed foot into his gut at supersonic speeds.

"Bubwagh...! he coughed, wincing at the harmless pain that the Solid Vision caused.

"I'll set one card, and end my Turn." Crow finished with a smile.

Rally jumped and cheered at the move. "That was awesome, Crow! Way to show 'em how Satellite duels!"

"Yeah," Crow agreed, shooting the boy a thumbs up. "At this rate, we'll be headed to see Yusei in no time!"

'Yusei?' Konami thought. 'Where have I heard that name before...? Ah well, probably someone unimportant.'

Carly disagreed, but she knew better than to bring it up now. It was her Debut Duel! She had more important things to worry about than finding out how her opponents were connected to the new King of New Domino City! Like Konami's secret past, or winning! Yes... winning was very important.

"Don't let us down, Carly." Konami said. "It's all... up to you."

"R-Right!" the journalist breathed. She quickly adjusted her swirly-eyed glasses. "M-My Turn. Draw!"

 **TURN THREE - CARLY - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 2200 LP**

"I-I activate our face-down Spell, _The Inexperienced Spy!_ " she shouted worriedly. "I'm not really sure, but... I think this card lets us look at one card in our opponent's hand!"

"You think?" Crow asked. "You either know or you don't!"

"I-I do know!" Carly decided. "So show 'em!"

"Them? You just said it was one card. So? Which one is it? One of them... or all of them?" the Satellite asked, playing on Carly's insecurity.

"Erm... A-A-" Carly trailed off, and glanced to Konami for guidance.

He palmed his face, and then gestured to the card's text. Carly blushed, and then read it quickly.

"O-Oh! It's just one!" she said confidently after reading. "So I'll choose... the one on the far left in _your_ hand, Crow!"

The orange-haired ex-con nodded. He grabbed the chosen card and swiveled it around to reveal... _Mistral the Silver Shield_.

"A Level Two Tuner, huh? So these Blackwings have Synchro Monsters...!" Carly breathed. "In that case... I'll place a monster in face-down Defense Position, and activate another Spell - _Swords of Revealing Light!_ "

Three glowing blades crashed onto the field as she placed the card on her Duel Disk, trapping Crow's monster behind them.

"With this, neither you nor your partner will be able to attack us for three whole Turns!" Carly grinned. "Now we'll definitely have the time to stage a comeback!"

"Actually," Crow replied, "you don't! I've got a Trap card, _Icarus Attack!_ By tributing my Shura the Blue Flame, this Trap will let me destroy two cards you control! So say goodbye to your Swords and that face-down monster of yours! Shura! Burn them away as you spread your wings for the sun!" He raised his hand to the heavens and clenched it tight. "Go! _Skyfall Dive!_ "

Taking flight at an insane speed, Shura dove into the core of the very sun itself and caught flame. Its body burned with all the sun's power as it began a descent back to the earth, and when it hit the surface... the field exploded into a furious white light.

"Augh!", "Darn you..!" Carly and Konami shouted respectively, shielding their eyes as the light swept over them. When it faded several seconds later, their field was empty, as was Crow's.

"Aw man... that's no good!" said Carly. "I'll, um... I'll place one card face-down, and end my Turn."

"Then that means it's my time to shine!" Rally said. He quickly reached for the top of his deck. "Draw!"

 **TURN FOUR - RALLY - SIX CARDS IN HAND - 3200 LP**

"I summon... _Genex Neutron_ in Attack Mode!" he shouted immediately, prompting a tall, multi-colored machine to emerge from the depths of space. It beeped and booped much the Alien of Light from Hiyuusha's other fic, and turned its gaze on the defenseless Carly.

 _Genex Neutron - (LIGHT/Machine) - LV4 - (1800/1200)_

"Battle Phase!" the boy continued then. "Blast 'em Neutron, with your _Genex Spark!_ "

The robot nodded, and raised its pulsing black hands toward Rally's foes. Lightning burst and scattered from the machine's hands, and it set a course for Carly, deciding to deal with her first.

" _Eek!_ " she cried as the lightning blasted toward her, and she quickly took cover behind Konami.

"What?! Hey, don't come over here-!" he started in reply, but it was too late. The lightning crashed into his being, and he let out a cry of dramatic pain.

"Alright, it landed!" Rally cheered, pumping his fist at the completed attack. "If we keep this up, we really _will_ be seeing Yusei soon!"

The smoke from the attack cleared, and Konami scowled at the sight of the steam rising from his form. "Yusei, Yusei, _Yusei_..." he muttered. "Who is this guy, why do you keep going on about him?!"

"Why?" Rally asked, surprised at the tone with which Konami spoke. "Because he's my friend! And what do you mean, "Who is he?" You should know! He's the King of New Domino City!"

"Say what?" blinked Konami. "The King of New Domino - you mean that crabfish-head whose been all over the news recently?"

Everyone stumbled at his choice of description.

"Y-You mean you really didn't know?" Carly asked, unable to believe it.

Konami laughed sheepishly. He even scratched the back of his head to seal the deal. "Well, can you really blame me?" he asked. "It's not like I was in town for the Fortune Cup, and ever since I've arrived I've been a little... _busy_."

"Yeah, well... long story short, Yusei was a pal of ours back at Satellite!" Crow explained. "There have been some rumors that he's been running around trying to track us down, so we decided to take advantage of Goodwin's tournament to send him a message. Of course, if we win, Goodwin'll have to use all his resources to help us have a reunion."

The crowd began to "ooh" and "ah" at the revelation. Old friends reunited with the help of the Director? Of course they'd eat that sort of thing up.

"Stop. Stop! _STOP!_ " Konami howled. "I told you I don't want to hear any backstory!"

'Darn it,' he thought. 'With this, they've all but solidifed their position as the underdog! And everyone knows that underdogs don't lose until they go up against the big bad! Slifer, even Joey beat Yugi off-screen to get his Red-Eyes back! I have to do something quick, or this Duel will be lost to us!'

He glanced to Carly. "Quick, tell them your own backstory!"

"S-Say what?!" Carly sputtered in disbelief. "That's something a little personal to broadcast, don't you think?"

"Oh, get over it! You're a journalist, aren't you?" he asked. "You tell people's personal information all the time! If you can't bother telling them your own, then you have no right to be in the business in the first place!"

Carly flinched, realizing he was referring to their earlier discussion. "B-But then... where do I begin?"

"Where else... but at the lowest point of your career?!" Konami roared in reply. Carly nodded, and she began to speak.

"I-I guess it all began... back when I first met that reporter, Melissa Claire!" she shouted, prompting the crowd to gasp. Carly was involved with the city's ace reporter?

 _No way._

"She and I used to be partners, you know?" she told them. "But as we started getting bigger and bigger stories, it became clear who people wanted to see more. It was me! And Melissa... she was envious, jealous of me! So she set me up, making it look like we had a big and beautiful scoop to grab... when really, it was a lie that ruined my chance at hitting the big leagues!"

"Attention viewers!" Melissa Claire's voice rang through the area. The large overhead screen suddenly flickered to life, revealing the cowgirl reporter's form. "This is your ace reporter, Melissa Claire, live with a breaking story! It seems that one of the _Daily Duel's_ lowly journalists has seen fit to start telling lies about me! As such, it's only right that I, Melissa Claire, come forth to spin some truth into that not-so-intricate web of hers. You see dear viewers, Carly Carmine... is a slacker."

"W-What?!" Carly sputtered. "That's not true!"

"Oh yes it is!" Melissa countered. "In fact, everyone at the office agrees that if it weren't for her 'rival' Angela Raines always getting up in her face, she'd never get any work done at all!"

"S-Say WHAT?!" Carly shouted, shaking her fist at the screen. "I'm not a slacker! That's a lie and you know it! Angela's always trying to one up me! A-And don't forget, I've been writing those mind-blowing pieces on the Sacred Beasts!"

"You mean those once a day five-hundred word articles you print out?" Melissa shot back. "Everyone else is doing five times your workload! And you wonder why the boss put you on newspaper duty!"

The crowd gasped, and then began to boo Carly for lying. Konami pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Darn it, Carly... I told you to tell them your backstory not make us look bad!" he complained. "You made them hate us even more than _I_ did for spoiling _RWBY!_ "

"S-Sorry... but hey, at least we have each other?" Carly tried.

Konami glared at her. "Okay. Know what? Forget it. I'll win this myself. _DRAW!_ "

 **TURN FIVE - KONAMI - FIVE CARDS IN HAND - 400 LP**

'Perfect!' he thought, glancing at his drawn card before throwing it face-up onto his Duel Disk. "I summon... the _Lord of D._ in Attack Mode!"

Dark wind formed a swirling pillar as Konami spoke the words. Shortly after, the draconic sorcerer emerged from the wind and stood proud and tall, despite being the only thing on his side of the field.

 _Lord of D. - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1200/1000)_

"Uh... are you trying to lose?" Rally wondered. "That monster's Attack Points are lower my Neutron's. If they fight, your Life Points are toast!"

"But they won't _be_ fighting!" Konami chuckled. "Because I also have this!" He reached into his hand and played a certain green card. " _The Flute of Summoning Dragon!_ "

The golden horn appeared in the sorcerer's hands, and Konami smirked. "Allow me to explain how it works. When my Lord of D. plays this flute, the dragons of old will come to his aid. In game mechanics, this means that I can Special Summon up to two Dragon-type monsters in my hand. And I just so happen to have just the two in mind! Behold, the diamond-headed _Hyozanryu_..." he began, placing the first card on his Duel Disk before grabbing the second, "and the far more powerful, far more _iconic_ , _**BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON**_ _!_ "

He slammed the second card down swiftly, and grinned as the two dragons howled in unison. The heavens themselves split and trembled as they swooped down from the skies, and though he didn't say anything, Konami was pretty sure at least one of his opponents wet themselves upon seeing the shining beasts.

 _Hyozanryu - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV7 - (2100/2800)_

 _Blue-Eyes White Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2500)_

"N-No way! This guy has a Blue-Eyes?!" Crow gasped.

"That's right, and you want to know what else I have?" Konami asked, clenching his fist eagerly now that the tables had been turned. "Victory! Blue-Eyes! Hyozanryu! Wipe out the rest of their Life Points! _Diamond Burst Stream!_ "

The two dragons howled at the command, and after gathering the energies within themselves, unleashed twin streams of light that coated the field in their power.

 **KONAMI & CARLY - 400 LP**

 **CROW & RALLY - 0 LP**

The field was still smoking by the time the horn blew. It took several more minutes after that for the smoke to start clearing. As it did, Rally fell to his knees in defeat.

"No way... We... We lost!"

"Tch. Sorry Rally," Crow said. "I should've done more on my first Turn...!"

"No, it's my fault. I had some Traps I should've placed..."

"It's my fault," Konami interrupted. "I was just too powerful."

Crow winced. "Come to gloat?"

"Of course," Konami said. "Now that my partner's made us out to be the bad guys, I have to be sure to play the part. At least for now. That being said...you two aren't half-bad. Well, besides the whole one monster and lack of Traps thing."

"Yeah, well... a load of good it did." Crow muttered, ignoring Konami's last statement. "We still lost."

"Yeah, but you also got Melissa Claire to make an appearance." Konami said. "Granted, it was mostly to berate my partner for her lies, do you know how much recognition this Duel will get thanks to her appearance? At the very least, _someone_ who's seen Yusei is bound to speak up."

"H-Huh?" Rally blinked, not quite sure he heard Konami right. "Really?!"

"Probably." Konami replied. "This is New Domino City after all. A lot of people here don't care for Satellites. You'll likely have to bruise a few of them before anyone talks."

"Heh, well then it's a good thing that I'm used to bein' in fights!" Crow exclaimed.

The two shared a grin.

"You know... telling us this doesn't mean I forgive you for spoiling us earlier," Crow said a moment later. " _Or_ getting us kicked from this tournament!"

"Come at me whenever," Konami replied, turning his back on the pair. "I'm always down for a Duel."

"Then it's settled," said Crow. "Next time we meet..."

" _I'll be the winner!_ "

"So... mind telling what _that_ was all about?" Carly asked as Konami emerged from the dwindling smoke.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about, my cute little minion." Konami replied. Carly sputtered at the title.

"M-Minion?!" she asked. "I thought I was at the very least a sidekick!"

Konami laughed. "Well you _were_ ," he said, "at least until you went and made us look bad on national television! Thanks to that stunt of yours with Melissa, they're gonna be calling for our heads. Do you know what that makes us, Carly? It makes us heels! The bad guys! So yeah. From this point on until I say otherwise, you're a minion. You wanna be a sidekick again? Find a way to get us a Heel-Face turn."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Carly muttered, flinching at some of the angry stares the people of New Domino City were giving her. "I'll uh... I'll do my best."

"Good!" Konami chirped. He grabbed her by the hand and began to pull her along. "Now come on! I wanna see if our _unimportant side characters_ lost yet!"

"Unimportant side-? Do you mean your classmate and her partner?" Carly asked.

" _Former_ classmate, thank you very much!" Konami retorted. "I mean, look at me! Do I look like I go to New Domino Duel College? No? Didn't think so!"

Carly didn't comment.

"Alright," Konami said a minute later when they were back at the tournament hub, "let's see here... Looks like they're supposed to be in Arena Five." He glanced toward that arena's screen and blinked. "Huh. Well, definitely wasn't expecting that."

"Expecting what-oh." Carly said, staring at the screen in surprise as well.

 **ENZO & WISTERIA - 3800 LP**

 **MINA & TRUDGE - 2400 LP**

"I've said this before... but why is everyone we know here?" Carly asked.

"It's almost like the author was too lazy to put in more characters." Konami replied. "That's bad writing."

They both watched the events unfold on screen.

"Alright!" Enzo shouted first, throwing his hand forward. "This time for sure! _Giant Rat_ , attack directly!"

"No, wait. That's not a very good id-!" Wisteria started, but her advice came too late. The command had already been given, so the rodent charged.

"Hah! You fell for my Trap card!" Trudge roared with a boisterous grin. " _Mirror Force!_ It destroys all Attack Position monsters you control, which means your Giant Rat just earned a one-way ticket to the Graveyard!"

The clear barrier of energy associated with the card appeared at Trudge's behest, preventing Enzo's monster from getting through to his Life Points. A moment later the Giant Rat was blown back, shattering into golden light that dwindled away until nothing remained.

"...Told you," Wisteria muttered. "I hope you're happy, Enzo. Thanks to that stunt, our field will be defenseless!"

"And that's the best way to have it!" Enzo grinned. "After all, Bright always said that the best defense was a strong offense!"

Wisteria's eye twitched. "You do realize that right now we don't even have an offense? Just... set a couple of face-downs or something. Please?"

"Shaddap! I got this," replied Enzo. He glanced at his hand full of Traps before grinning at Trudge. "Turn End!"

Wisteria covered her face in shame.

"An empty field huh? Then not even I can mess this up!" Mina shouted. "My Turn, Draw!"

 **TURN TWELVE - MINA - TWO CARDS IN HAND - 2400 LP**

"I summon _Gellenduo_ in Attack Mode!" she said while placing a card on her Duel Disk. A golden light followed her words, and a second later two floating fairies hovered above the field.

 _Gellenduo - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (1700/0)_

"Now... attack!" Mina said while swooping her hand forward. Enzo grinned at the words.

"Not so fast, sweetcheeks!" he exclaimed. He reached into his hand and revealed a card. "I've got a Trap! _Magic Cylinder!_ It negates your attack, and inflicts damage equal to your monster's Attack Points to you!"

He made to place the card on his Duel Disk, but nothing happened.

"Huh? What?!" he asked, trying again and again only to eventually get an ERROR hologram. "What's wrong with this thing? Why won't it work?!"

Trudge couldn't help it. He laughed. "That'd be because you can't use Traps from the hand, kiddo. Didn't your professor teach you kids this back at school? Really, if you don't even know that, you guys are really in over your head!"

The two fairies nodded in agreement, and they continued their flight across the field unimpeded. Forming a beautiful arc even as Enzo roared in outrage, the Gellenduo slammed into the bodies of Enzo and Wisteria. The two duelists staggered backward from the hit and winced as their Life Points began to fall.

"Darn it...! Should I have used _Trap Hole_ instead?" Enzo gasped.

Wisteria bowed her head in shame. "Enzo, please... silence yourself. If you don't... I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to be nice to you."

"Turn End." Mina said. She glanced to Wisteria. "I hope you're better than your partner is at this."

Wisteria saw red. "That's _IT!_ _DRAW!_ "

 **TURN THIRTEEN - WISTERIA - FOUR CARDS IN HAND - 2100 LP**

She glanced at her hand with a scowl.

"When you can't depend on your $%&#ing partner," she told her opponents, "then you just have to do what you should have done the first time, and make do with yourself! I activate a Spell - _Monster Reborn!_ With it, I revive the defeated _Giant Rat_ in Attack Mode!"

The large rodent hissed as it reappeared on the field, and its eyes glowed with the might of the earth.

 _Giant Rat - (EARTH/Beast) - LV4 - (1400/1450)_

"What...?" Trudge grumbled. "You brought that weak thing back?"

"It's not weak!" Enzo shouted. "It's one of the most powerful monsters in my deck!"

"No. It's weak. Really weak. _Horrendously_ weak. And it's owner can't even be bothered to use its ability correctly! That's why... I'll be sending it right back to the Graveyard soon enough!" Wisteria raged.

Enzo clenched his fist angrily. "What do you have against my monster?! It didn't do anything to you!"

"Just shut up and watch," Wisteria growled. "I'm not doing this out of spite. I'll be Tributing it along with the Level Four _Insect Knight_ in my hand!"

"What? But how's that possible?!" Mina gasped. "I thought you couldn't Tribute monsters from the hand?!"

Wisteria glared, knowing that Mina's ignorance was mirrored by many in the crowd. "Ordinarily you'd be correct," she began slowly, "but this isn't an ordinary circumstance, because I'm Tributing them through the use of a Spell card! A Ritual Spell in fact, known to _Duel Monsters_ as _End of the World!_ "

She placed the card onto her Duel Disk as she spoke, prompting a large, ritualistic circle to take form high in the sky. The image of Wisteria's Insect Knight appeared beside the Giant Rat not long after. Just as it did however, a destructive blue flame engulfed them both.

"I now perform what is known as a Ritual Summon!" Wisteria shouted, "By activating a Ritual card, such as my _End of the World_ , and then Tributing monsters whose total Levels equal that of a Ritual Monster in my hand... I can Special Summon said Ritual Monster to the field!" the crowd began to murmur. Many of them only knew of Synchro Summoning, such was the mainstream Dueling-style in that day and age. Wisteria, however, was not mainstream.

"Now," she continued, throwing her hand upward as the seal began to ripple and burn, "watch as I Tribute my Level Four Insect Knight and Level Four Giant Rat to give birth to the Level Eight _Demise, King of Armageddon!_ "

Blue flames engulfed the screen, and Konami stopped watching.

"H-Huh?" Carly asked, stumbling after him as he turned to walk away. "Don't you want to see it through to the end?"

"There's no point. The Duel's already over." Konami explained. "Thanks to Demise's effect, it's about to be the only thing on the field, and based on the remaining number of Life Points our friends at Sector Security had left. Well..."

An explosion rocked the stadium following his words, and Konami chuckled.

"That'd be the final attack." He told Carly, "Let's go congratulate Wisteria on her victory, shall we? It's not often that side characters make it past the first round. _Especially_ when they're created for the sole purpose of being in a videogame!"

Carly nodded slowly in agreement, and then made to follow Konami toward Arena Five's entrance. Several minutes later, the two Duelists they were waiting on emerged, looking none the worse for wear.

"-and then it was all, bam! Boom! Kablooie!" Enzo cheered. "Man, and to think, none of it would have been possible if it hadn't been for my Giant Rat. I bet you're glad I let that Trudge dude destroy it with his Mirror Force, huh Wis?"

"..."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it!" Enzo laughed. "You're too astonished to say anything, right? Don't worry, I totally understand. I've got some people to talk to, so I'll see you when it's time for the next Duel, alright Wis? Sweet!"

He ran off without waiting for a response, leaving Wisteria alone at the entrance. When it was clear he didn't intend to return, Konami and Carly made their approach.

"That was, well... _enlightening?_ " Carly tried.

"Very," Konami agreed. "I never knew that you had a nickname... _Wis_."

"...Shut up."

Konami's eyes went wide. "She speaks."

"I punch and claw, too." Wisteria replied. "Want a demonstration?"

Carly smiled sheepishly. "I wouldn't mind seeing that."

"Well, aren't you two just violent today? Your attitude aside however... what was that all about?" Konami asked. "Is your partner always that... _that_?"

"Like I said," muttered Wisteria, "his skill level is lacking."

Konami scoffed. "That's more than lacking. That's downright horrid. Even Syrus wasn't that bad when he first started, and he was terrible at _Duel Monsters!_ You need to fix this, or you'll definitely be going down in the next round."

"What do you suggest I do?" Wisteria inquired. "I've tried everything. From giving advice to mimicking Bastion, _he just doesn't listen!_ "

"Yeah, it's probably a problem with the AI," Konami said. "The Tag Force series is known to have a _horrid_ one, but it's not like there's much you can do to fix that. Try giving him a better deck. I've been meaning to do it to Carly myself, but plot keeps getting in the way."

"What's wrong with my deck...?" Carly asked, but she was ignored.

Wisteria folded her arms. "I can't believe I'm talking to you about this. It's downright embarassing!"

"Yeah well, it's not like your character is a stranger to embarrassment." Konami said. "Between this fic, that other fic, and the original... you've been in all kinds of mishaps and mayhem. But we're not here to talk about any of that. Carly and I just wanted to congratulate you! Like I was telling her earlier, it's not too often that _unimportant side characters_ like you and Sandy over there make it past the first round."

"Yes, well... with luck we'll make it to the top." Wisteria replied. She glanced over to Enzo before amending her statement. "A _lot_ of luck. What about you? Did you win as well?"

"Do you think we'd still be here if we hadn't?" Konami inquired.

Wisteria scoffed. "Since this is you we're talking about? Yes. Yes I do."

"Well you're wrong," Konami said. "Everyone knows that when the protagonist whites out they wake up at the nearest Pokémon Center! Oh wait-" he scratched his head in confusion. "This isn't Pokémon though, is it? So I'd wake up at... what? The hospital? My bedroom? A dark place with the words Game Over?! This stuff can get really confusing at times."

"The only thing confusing me right now is you," Wisteria replied with a shake of her head. "Perhaps I should leave. There's too much at stake for me to be mingling about when I could be upgrading my deck... _or_ Enzo's."

"Yes, yes... the revival of Ritual Summoning is very important," Konami drawled. "But Wisteria, babe, it's November 2009. Gishki aren't coming out for like, another nine months at best!"

" _Babe?_ " The girl asked, "And just what makes you think I'll let you call me that?"

"Well, you haven't thrown me off a tower yet, so I figured that was a pretty good sign. Besides," he added while wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "there's no need to pretend like you didn't like it, because we both know you did."

"You're horrible," Wisteria sighed.

"The correct word is available," Konami said. "And last I checked... you were too."

Wisteria's eyes went wide. Konami giggled at the sight, and then snapped a surprise photo with his PDA.

"There's the money shot!" he shouted as Wisteria cried out in surprise. Konami stepped away from her with a grin while looking at the photo. "You should have seen the look on your face. This is going on twitter by the way. Hope you don't mind."

"I don't." Wisteria muttered while pinching her eyelids tightly. She had snapped her eyes shut to block out the light, but the damage had already been done. "But may I ask _why_ you felt the need to do such a thing? I would have been more than happy had you just asked!"

"But then it wouldn't be payback," Konami explained casually, "You know, for when you and the other Tag Force charries ditched me to cameo in _Cardfight! Vanguard!?_ "

"I had no part in that scheme. It was Yuma's idea, and she only took Bright and Nataly with her..." Wisteria told him while steadying herself. "...I on the other hand was stuck with a palette swap in a Zexal Special. In fact... why don't you remember this? I was sitting right behind you!"

Konami did a double take. He quickly shifted through his PDA photos, finding the offending image of him and Misaki from _Over the Nexus_ sitting in the bleachers. Behind them, there was, in fact, a brown-haired pigtailed girl enjoying the Duel. He blinked. "Huh," he said, "who would've thought? Ah well, too late to do anything about it now. Besides, you broke the fourth wall, and that simply _cannot_ be allowed."

He made no mention of the fact that he did it all the time.

"Ugh, forget it." Wisteria drawled upon eyeing her eyes. "What were we talking about again?"

"You were telling me about how you're unavailable because of how much you love Dueling." Konami said. "It was a very heartbreaking scene. Lots of tears and crying. Very sad."

"What?!" Wisteria gasped. "But that's impossible! I would _never_ turn you down-"

"I-It's okay, Wisteria." Konami said, faking tears. "I get it. We'd shine too bright together, you and I. And... and maybe it's better this way. I mean, this story is only rated T, so we wouldn't even be able to do anything even if we _were_ together together. I think - I think it's best we just stay friends. We can still hang out and watch _Netflix_ some time, or maybe... maybe we can go to Kaibaland with the gang and Bright. Yes. Friendly things are fine... as long as there are no benefits involved."

"...You're having me on right now, aren't you?" Wisteria asked.

Konami smiled wryly. "When'd you notice?"

"Around the part when you mentioned shining too brightly together," she replied. "Based on how you've been acting, I don't think you'd be able to resist the chance."

"The sad thing is, you're probably right." Konami chuckled.

Wisteria sighed. "Really, you're just like Syrus and Chazz. But I suppose it's to be expected. You Slifers are all the same when it comes right down to it."

"Good with a deck?" Konami asked.

"No," Wisteria replied while growing a smile. "Foolish when it comes to women."

"Well, _I_ certainly don't remember sneaking into the girls' dorm because someone wrote my roommate a love letter." Konami drawled. He folded his arms.

"That's because you didn't _have_ to sneak into the girls' dorms. Due to the lack of space you _lived_ there!"

"I smell a story there," Carly interrupted, "but I don't suppose you're going to tell me."

"No," Konami told her. "No, I'm not."

Carly frowned.

"Oh, cut her some slack, Konami." Wisteria said. "She's just curious. Can you blame her?"

"Given the way you and Enzo have been monopolizing the chapter, I suppose not." Konami admitted. "How long are you planning on sticking around again?"

"Long enough," Wisteria replied. "Though I suppose this conversation has dragged on a bit. I really should get back to my partner. There's no telling what kind of trouble he'll get into otherwise."

"Yeah," Carly agreed, catching the sight of said partner tripping into a crowd from the corner of her eye. The victims looked pretty upset. "Yeah, you should do that."

"Then until we meet again," Wisteria said kindly, and she inclined her head in a parting fashion. "Farewell."

She turned to leave, and Carly chose that moment to address Konami.

"Get a room, why don'tcha?"

"Nah," Konami said. "Wisteria and I aren't allowed to be alone together anymore. Last time it happened there was a lot of unresolved sexual tension and, uh... it didn't end well. There was a lot of pushing and shoving involved and, well... let's just say that when Wisteria pushes you, you don't hit the ground for a while."

Carly tilted her head curiously at the words, but seemed to pick up on the fact that it was a low point in Konami's past. "Erm..." she muttered, unsure of how to handle him. "Do you need to talk about it with someone?"

"Not really," Konami shrugged. "That was a different Red Hat. Learning to Duel me gets _all_ the angst. It's kind of sad, really. Now come on, they've got food here, and I haven't eaten at all since this story began. Of course, since this is an abandoned project...now I never will."

The journalist nodded her agreement despite not quite knowing what he meant, and together, they disappeared into the crowd. They were both ignorant to the fact that his _unimportant side character_ friend was being watched, or that said watcher was a masked woman... accompanied by a tall, green-suited man.


End file.
